[Return to Daily Life] "Vacation Season is Coming" Tourists and Industry Both Have High Hopes

[Return to Daily Life - Part 2]

Getting Vaccinated and Traveling This Year
66% of Office Workers Plan Domestic Trips

Travel Industry Offers Discounted Accommodation Packages
Overseas Travel Products Also Emerging

Local Governments Host Tourism Events
Seoul Metropolitan Area Campsites Fully Booked for July

Camping site reference photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Park Seong-jae (34, pseudonym), a fifth-year office worker living in Seoul, planned a trip to the southern coast at the end of July. It is a 5-night, 6-day itinerary starting from Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, and going to Busan. Last summer, Park spent his vacation “bangkok” (staying cooped up in his room) fiddling with his cellphone, but this year he is determined to properly “heal.” Park said, "I recently got vaccinated against COVID-19 and social distancing measures are being eased, so I planned my summer vacation," adding, "Although I still feel a bit burdened by others’ eyes, I plan to quietly travel alone."

As vaccine coverage expands and the government eases social distancing policies, more office workers are trying to reclaim their lost summer vacations, bringing smiles to related industries such as lodging and tourism. According to a recent survey by the job portal Incruit of 742 office workers, 65.8% responded that they plan to travel domestically this year. In particular, 1 in 5 (20.1%) plan to take a “solo vacation.” However, most (87.2%) said they would travel but “not share it on social networking services (SNS) or keep it secret from colleagues and others,” which is interpreted as a consideration of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Major campsites in the metropolitan area are already fully booked for next month. At Seoul’s Nanji Camping Site, reservations for weekends (Saturday and Sunday) are unavailable regardless of whether it is for 2, 4, or 8 people, and even on weekdays, more than half of the slots are booked. Campsites such as Wangsong Lake Camping Site in Uiwang City, Gyeonggi Province, and Gwanggyo Lake Park Family Camping Site in Suwon City are also fully booked from Friday to Sunday, and some weekdays in the last week of July, the peak season, are difficult to reserve. A local government official explained, "Camping is being operated with shared facilities like shower rooms closed," adding, "Since social distancing is easier, many ‘camping groups’ are visiting."

The travel industry has also become busy with various events. While selling lodging discount packages mainly for domestic travel to places like Jeju and Yeosu in Jeollanam-do, they are also launching overseas travel packages to Hawaii, Guam, Singapore, etc., in line with the expected implementation of the ‘travel bubble’ in the second half of this year. An industry official said, "We expect demand for overseas travel around the summer vacation season and the Chuseok holiday," adding, "We will carefully follow quarantine guidelines to ensure safe travel."

Local governments are also conducting promotions to attract tourists. Busan City has prepared a ‘Prepayment Project’ event from the 14th of this month to the end of August, offering discounts on admission fees when purchasing programs for 10 local tourist attractions such as Busan X the Sky and Songdo Cable Car in advance. Gyeongnam Province selected 18 ‘summer non-face-to-face safe tourist spots’ including recreational forests, valleys, and islands, and Gangwon Province also chose 18 spots under the theme ‘Summer Theme: Non-face-to-face/Hidden Tourist Spots’ to attract tourists. Gyeongbuk Province is holding the ‘Gyeongbuk East Coast Life Shot Photo Contest’ until the 23rd of next month.

The most delighted by the lively summer vacation season are local lodging businesses and self-employed people around tourist areas. Lee (53), who runs a pension in Gangwon Province, said, "Since many family groups and group travelers visit, the impact of the limit on the number of people was significant, but group reservations are continuing in July and August," adding, "I hope daily life recovers soon and the local economy revitalizes."