"One Mojito in Guam"... 531% Surge [Friday Story]

On the 21st of last month, tourists cheered as they looked at the Matterhorn from the Gornergrat Observatory in Switzerland.
(Photo by Lotte Tour).

"Back to Daily Life"
Travel Demand Explodes Ahead of 'With Corona'
International Flights Resuming Including Hawaii Routes
Turkey and Spain Travel Packages Sell 6.5 Billion KRW Each Within an Hour

#Office worker Kim In-gyu (38) recently dressed up and took ID photos after a long time. This was to renew his passport, which expired last year. Kim said, "Overseas travel during vacation was a great joy in life, but after not being able to travel for two years, I even forgot the passport expiration date. I have completed the COVID-19 vaccination, and the number of countries allowing travel without self-quarantine is increasing, so I am planning a trip targeting early next year."

As the movement toward 'gradual recovery of daily life (With Corona)' gains momentum, preparations for 'cross-border travel' that had been halted are becoming active. Those who missed overseas travel quickly completed reservations and have already started moving, and the domestic travel and accommodation industries are also preparing to welcome overseas travelers.

According to the Aviation Information Portal System on the 22nd, the number of passengers departing from Incheon International Airport to the major resort destination Guam last month was 2,127, a sharp increase of 531.1% compared to the same period last year. The number of passengers on the Incheon-Guam route, which was only 491 in January this year, exceeded 1,000 in July with 1,321 passengers, and last month surpassed 2,000 for the first time this year.

International flights are also becoming active. Korean Air will resume its Hawaii route from the 3rd of next month, after 19 months. Asiana Airlines is preparing to operate the Incheon-Guam route by the end of this year, and Jeju Air will also operate a golf tourism charter flight on the Incheon-Chiang Mai, Thailand route next month.

Lotte Tour has restarted its overseas travel package team after one and a half years since COVID-19. Sales of products for Spain, Italy, Guam, Saipan, and others have also become active. The number and performance of overseas travel products on home shopping channels are noticeably increasing. Lotte Home Shopping announced that the Turkey and Spain travel packages sold on the 17th recorded about 30,000 cumulative orders and 6.5 billion KRW in sales within just one hour of broadcast each. CJ OnStyle also plans to broadcast packages centered on countries exempt from self-quarantine such as Turkey and Spain as early as the end of this month.

Hotels, which had been tightly contracted, are also preparing to welcome overseas guests. This year, 'Fairmont Ambassador Seoul' in Yeouido, Seoul, 'Chosun Palace Seoul Gangnam, a Luxury Collection Hotel' in Yeoksam, and 'Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences' in Jamsil have opened one after another. The Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and Lotte Hotel World have completed renovations in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era.

On the 18th, the first day of the last social distancing measure before the phased daily recovery (With Corona) implementation, passengers heading to the United States were lining up for boarding procedures at Terminal 2 departure hall of Incheon International Airport. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@