Jeju Island in Trouble... Travelers Choosing 'Japan' Even During Samiljeol Holiday [Chosun Price Records]

⑧Cheaper Japan Instead of Jeju
Jeju Tourism Hit by 'Overcharging' Image

Incheon-Matsuyama 112,400 KRW, Gimpo-Osaka 94,700 KRW, Incheon-Fukuoka 89,400 KRW. Jeju Air's one-way prices for the Japan route discount promotion held last month for March to June started around 100,000 KRW. Applying the limited first-come-first-served discount code of 40,000 KRW reduces the airfare burden so much that people say, "If you're going to Jeju Island, why not go to Japan instead?" Some small Japanese cities like Matsuyama offer free round-trip airport-city shuttle, hot spring admission fees, cable car rides, and other tourist attraction entrance fees.

According to the travel industry on the 1st, demand for travel to Japan surged during the Samiljeol holiday (March 1st to 3rd). [Image source=Pixabay]

According to the travel industry on the 1st, demand for travel to Japan surged during the Samiljeol holiday (March 1-3). Japan-bound products departing on February 29 and March 1 sold out early. Reservation rates for Japan package tours from companies like Hanatour and Modetour exceeded 95% by the third week of last month. Hanatour's Japan reservations for the Samiljeol holiday increased by about 170% compared to the same period last year, and Modetour also saw about a 35% increase.

The popularity of traveling to Japan during Samiljeol, a day of heightened nationalism, is due to the lowered perceived cost of living. The short flight time makes travel comfortable, and the prolonged yen depreciation (weakening of the yen) makes prices feel relatively cheaper for Koreans. Japan is considered the best value-for-money (psychological satisfaction relative to price) travel destination due to its high infrastructure standards such as prices and cleanliness, as well as the attractiveness of its food and shopping. According to a recent survey by travel research specialist Consumer Insight, which asked 9,375 people who traveled abroad in the past year (September 2022 to August 2023) about their satisfaction with travel destinations, Japan ranked 6th among 27 countries worldwide. This is the highest ranking in Asia, following Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Italy, and New Zealand in overall satisfaction.

On the other hand, unlike Japan, which sees an increase in tourists due to the perception of low prices and high satisfaction, Korea's representative tourist destination Jeju Island is experiencing slow tourism recovery as airfare, accommodation, and rental costs rise, solidifying its image of "overcharging." Jeju Island travel expenditure per person (based on 3 nights and 4 days) was 528,000 KRW in 2023 (January to October), which is 1.6 times higher than the domestic travel average of 339,000 KRW.

Jeju Island, Korea's representative tourist destination, is experiencing slow tourism recovery due to increased costs of airfare, accommodation, and car rentals, solidifying its image of "overpriced fees."
[Image source=Pixabay]

The image of "high prices" and "overcharging" has led to a decrease in tourists. According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Tourism Association, the number of tourists arriving in Jeju last year was 13,370,529 (12,661,179 domestic tourists), down 3.7% from 13,889,502 (13,803,058 domestic tourists) in 2022. The Jeju Provincial Council has responded to the "overcharging controversy" by drafting legislation for stable tourism price management. They passed a partial amendment to the "Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Fair Tourism Promotion and Support Ordinance," which includes legal grounds for investigating tourism price conditions, price stabilization, and improvement of public morals within Jeju.

1.98 million to Japan, 970,000 to Jeju

While Jeju Island is making every effort to manage prices and has shown signs of tourism recovery this year, the gap with Japan remains significant. In January this year, the number of tourists to Jeju was 1,076,535 (970,888 domestic tourists), a 2.7% increase compared to the same month last year (1,048,628). During the Lunar New Year holiday period (January 8-12), the number of tourists was 198,707, a 25.2% increase compared to 158,658 visitors during last year's Lunar New Year holiday (January 20-24). However, the number of tourists departing from Korea to Japan last month (based on paying passengers) was 1,987,038, still overwhelmingly higher than Jeju.

Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Departure Hall. Photo by Yonhap News

Consumer Insight stated in its latest report, "Japan has all the optimal conditions to enjoy world-class content with the best infrastructure." It added, "It is noteworthy that Korean travelers rated Japan number one globally in terms of price and integrity, which are always problematic in domestic travel destinations." It further noted, "There are good reasons why Koreans flock to Japan. Japan is a substitute that threatens Korea's domestic tourism industry and the root cause of the huge tourism trade deficit."