SEOUL: Amid a protracted political crisis that started when President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law on December 3, South Korea’s tourism sector is bracing for a slump.
Since certain hotels and tour companies in the capital have already had some cancellations during the past week owing to safety concerns, authorities anticipate falling short of their goals for visitor arrivals this year.
Since December is usually a busy time for tourists, particularly from Southeast Asia, South Korea still aims to draw millions more visitors for the remainder of the month. Officials do not, however, anticipate meeting this year’s goal of 20 million foreign visitors.
According to Kim Young-hwan, director-general of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Tourism and Sports Bureau, recent events have been a setback in reaching tourism goals.
He went on to say that reaching the 17-million milestone this year would still be feasible. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 7.7 million foreign visitors arrived in the first half of 2024.
Kim was optimistic about the industry’s recovery. “We intend to do everything in our power to draw more tourists and reach our target of 30 million next year through regular updates about safe travel,” he stated.
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