Incheon City announced on the 27th that it has increased revenue as a result of raising the fares of the operating deficit-ridden Wolmi Sea Train to improve its management.
The fare for the Wolmi Sea Train was 8,000 KRW for adults (same on weekdays and weekends), but from the 1st of last month, it was raised to 11,000 KRW on weekdays and 14,000 KRW on weekends. However, the existing fare of 8,000 KRW is applied to Incheon citizens, and package fares to activate weekday usage, group discounts, and travel agency partnership discounts have been introduced.
After analyzing the train usage data for one month (27 business days) following the fare increase, the city reported that the total revenue was 221 million KRW, a 34% increase compared to the same month last year.
Despite the number of users dropping by 7.3% to 21,938 due to the record-breaking heatwave last month, more revenue was generated. Compared to July, revenue increased by 63.2% (86 million KRW), and the number of users increased by 11.9% (2,327 people).
Among all users, Incheon citizens accounted for 16%, and users from other regions accounted for 84%. The average number of weekday users was 649, and weekend users were 1,077.
Incheon Transit Corporation is currently selling package products online in partnership with Pororo Park and conducted a familiarization tour inviting influencers in cooperation with the Korea Tourism Organization to promote the Wolmi Sea Train.
Additionally, they are collaborating with the complex cultural space Sangsang Platform, travel agencies, and the Wolmi Merchants Association to promote weekday usage, and plan to produce short-form content targeting the MZ generation and hold social networking service (SNS) events.
An official from Incheon City stated, "We are also working on plans to offer discounts at nearby stores when using the Wolmi Sea Train," and added, "We will continue to strive for management improvement and regional mutual development."
The Wolmi Sea Train is a tourist rail train that circulates on a 6.1 km track with four stations including Wolmi Sea Station located in the Wolmi area of Jung-gu, Incheon. It was opened in 2019 with a budget exceeding 100 billion KRW but has recorded an operating deficit of about 6 billion KRW annually.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
