Over 12% Decrease in Visitors Compared to Same Period Last Year
Duty-Free Shops, Restaurants, and Lodging Businesses Also Impacted
Jeju-do Discusses Win-Win Strategies with Golf Course Industry
The number of visitors to golf courses in the Jeju area has sharply declined, prompting Jeju Province and the golf industry to hold a meeting to discuss ways to coexist and thrive together.
Benefiting from COVID-19 boom, hit by resumption of overseas travel and weak yen... 'Sharp decline in visitors'
According to the 'Status of Golf Course Visitors in Jeju Area' released by Jeju Province on the 2nd, the number of visitors to golf courses in the province from January to March this year was 406,728. This is a decrease of 56,788 (12.3%) compared to the same period last year (463,516). The number of local visitors also decreased by 21,511 (10.7%) from 201,241 last year to 179,730, and visitors from outside the province and foreigners also dropped by 35,277 (13.5%) from 262,275 last year to 226,998.
Previously, golf courses in Jeju showed a strong performance, with annual visitors reaching 2,399,511 in 2020 when COVID-19 began, unlike other industries that suffered hardships. In 2021 and 2022, the numbers were 2,898,742 and 2,820,305 respectively, enjoying a boom. At that time, there was even a joke that "booking a golf course in Jeju is as difficult as picking stars from the sky."
However, with the transition to the COVID-19 endemic phase, overseas travel resumed, dispersing demand. Not only did people turn to overseas destinations where golf is cheaper, but the weak yen phenomenon made golf costs in Japan cheaper than in Jeju, which is also considered to have had an impact. Moreover, the green fees (usage fees), excluding cart and food and beverage charges, remain at the elevated levels set during the COVID-19 period: 100,000 to 280,000 KRW on weekdays and a minimum of 150,000 KRW on weekends. For these reasons, the number of visitors dropped by 404,335 (14.3%) to 2,415,970 last year compared to the previous year, and this year, the number of visitors has decreased by more than 10%. The number of golf course users in Jeju is noticeably declining.
As golf tourists decrease, sales at domestic duty-free shops at the airport and Jungmun have fallen by 20-30%, and related industries such as restaurants and lodging businesses are also reportedly being adversely affected.
Jeju Province: "Need to establish discount programs and attract tournaments" vs Industry: "Green fees cheaper than metropolitan area... Need for administrative support"
Because of this, Jeju Province recently held a meeting with the golf industry to discuss ways to coexist with the local community. At the meeting, Jeju Province proposed ▲resident-only rates and seasonal discount systems for golf courses ▲caddy and cart selection options to improve perceptions of high costs ▲reduction of cart and rest area fees ▲operation of donation zones and support for underprivileged groups to expand social contribution activities ▲discounts on golf course fees for hometown love donors.
In return, they also suggested ▲hosting international golf expos ▲attracting domestic and international golf tournaments ▲incentives for golf courses hosting their own tournaments ▲support for golf academies and caddy training programs.
The industry side appealed for administrative support, citing difficulties in management due to rising prices despite green fees being lower than in the metropolitan area. The industry requested ▲support for holding golf festivals to attract off-season visitors ▲development and marketing support for tourism products linked with airlines ▲promotion of Jeju golf through provincial government channels ▲support for training caddies to serve foreign visitors.
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