Major Ski Resorts Begin Sequential Closures This Week
Offering Discounted Pass Benefits and More
The "flower of winter sports," the ski season, is coming to an end. Major ski resorts nationwide are beginning to close sequentially starting this week. This season, domestic ski resorts saw a significant increase in visitors for the first time in three years since COVID-19, largely recovering to near pre-pandemic levels. As they look forward to the next season, they plan to focus on final events for skiers.
Visitors are enjoying skiing and snowboarding at Vivaldi Park Ski Resort. [Photo by Daemyung Sono Group]
According to the leisure industry on the 1st, ski resorts are preparing to close this season, starting with Gonjiam Resort and Jisan Resort. Vivaldi Park, Alpensia, and Elysian will close their slopes on the 5th. High1 Resort and Muju Deogyusan Resort will close on the 12th, Yongpyong Resort on the 19th, and Phoenix Pyeongchang on the 26th.
Ski resorts are concentrating on discount events ahead of closing. Muju Resort is offering an additional 30% discount on lift tickets on Samiljeol (March 1st). From the 2nd to the 12th, half-day tickets are sold for 30,000 KRW and full-day tickets for 40,000 KRW. Jisan will open only advanced courses from the 2nd to the 12th and welcome skiers with full-day tickets priced at 20,000 KRW.
Phoenix Pyeongchang plans to open the "Masters Slope," exclusive to premium members, to all visitors starting on the 6th. Yongpyong Resort is preparing a family festival event on the closing day.
Major ski resorts were bustling with skiers this season. With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and an increase in outdoor activity participants, the number of visitors rose significantly. Phoenix Pyeongchang introduced a Spring Season Pass that allowed skiing until the end of the season, which included discounts not only on lift tickets but also on the water park and buffet, resulting in about a 40% increase in sales compared to the previous year.
As of the 26th of last month, Vivaldi Park surpassed 450,000 cumulative visitors. This is the number of people who visited the ski resort over approximately three months since it opened on December 3rd last year. Compared to the record-high 530,000 visitors in the 2018?2019 season, it has recovered to about 90%. This is the highest number for a single ski resort facility in Korea.
A representative from Sono International, a subsidiary of Daemyung Sono Group which operates Vivaldi Park, stated, "On weekends, around 10,000 skiers consistently visited, similar to pre-COVID-19 times," emphasizing, "Considering the difficult situation the leisure industry has faced over the past 2?3 years, the increase in ski resort visitors is very meaningful."
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