9.7 out of 10 People "Will Go on Vacation This Summer"
Soaring Airfare and Accommodation Prices Amid Exploding Travel Demand
Reservation Battles to Secure Good Travel Deals Lead to Emergence of 'Vacation Give-Up Group'
Some Postpone Summer Vacation or Choose to Stay Home
As travel demand, which had been suppressed due to the spread of COVID-19, surges, a so-called "reservation war" is taking place as people rush to book airline tickets and accommodations. [Image source=Pixabay]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As the first vacation season since the lifting of social distancing approaches, travel demand is increasing. However, since travel-related supply has not recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels, a kind of "reservation war" is taking place to book airline tickets and accommodations. As a result, many are choosing relatively affordable domestic travel or even giving up their vacations altogether, becoming so-called "hyupojok" (vacation give-up tribe).
Travel demand, which was suppressed due to COVID-19, has recently surged. About 9.7 out of 10 people have decided to travel this year. According to a survey conducted by the accommodation and activity platform "Yogi-ottae" ahead of the summer peak season, 97.3% of respondents said they would take a summer vacation this year, an increase of 21.1 percentage points compared to the same survey last year (76.2%).
Other surveys also confirm the sharp increase in overseas travel demand. On the 21st, Hotels.com commissioned Onepoll to conduct a survey of 1,000 Koreans aged 18 to 45 from the 1st to the 9th of this month. The results showed that 86% of respondents expressed an intention to travel abroad within three months.
Accordingly, securing overseas airline tickets has become as difficult as "picking stars from the sky." According to Interpark Tour on the 2nd, overseas airline ticket bookings last month increased by 74% compared to the previous month. This is a 1533.7% surge compared to May last year, when the COVID-19 situation was at its peak. In particular, Japan, which lifted restrictions on foreign tourists at the beginning of this month, saw airline ticket bookings increase by 289.7% compared to the previous month, and bookings for flights to popular summer vacation destinations in Southeast Asia soared by 135%.
On the 17th, ahead of the summer vacation season, the domestic terminal of Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, was bustling with travelers. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Domestic travel demand has also increased significantly. Many people are turning their attention to relatively affordable domestic travel or "hokangseu" (vacations enjoyed at hotels) instead of traveling abroad. According to the Jeju Tourism Association on the 21st, the number of visitors to Jeju from the 1st to the 20th was counted at 869,706. This means an average of about 43,400 people visited Jeju daily.
Not only Jeju but also popular summer vacation spots such as Busan and Gangneung have similar situations. Recently, controversy arose as the peak season rates for sea-view rooms at luxury hotels located along the coast in Haeundae and Gijang exceeded 800,000 KRW per night on average. Including the fees for various community facilities in the hotels, the daily accommodation cost exceeds 1,000,000 KRW.
As a result, a so-called "reservation war" trend has emerged to secure good travel products. On the 22nd, Yogi-ottae analyzed reservation data and found that accommodation booking transaction amounts increased 3.7 times compared to the previous year, and reservations were completed 52.3 days in advance of the usage date. This is 3.5 days earlier than last year, indicating that due to the concentration of accommodation demand during the summer peak season, people are rushing to make reservations to secure their desired products.
Consequently, some people are postponing their summer vacations or choosing to stay home. Mr. Kim (25) said, "I was determined to travel abroad once COVID ended, but now that social distancing is over, it's difficult to go. My workplace tells me to use my annual leave during the summer vacation season, but all the accommodations and airline tickets are fully booked." He added that he plans to travel around autumn after the peak season.
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