More crew members arrived in S. Korea than foreign tourists in May
- 4 years ago
중국 179명•일본 45명…승무원보다 적은 외국인 관광객
The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered travel plans for people all around the world,... dealing a significant blow to the travel industry.
In fact, the number of tourists arriving in South Korea in May was so low... that there were more local crew members on board planes and ships... than there were foreign visitors.
Arirang's Kim Dami reports.
With the coronavirus impeding global travel,... fewer people are visiting South Korea.
In fact, according to the Korea Tourism Organization on Monday, only around six-thousand overseas tourists came to Korea in May.
That's far fewer than the 13-thousand crew members working on flights and ships during the same time.
Since it came into effect in April, South Korea's two-week long mandatory self-quarantine has made travel difficult.
Some tourists may even NEED to spend a total of four weeks in self-quarantine if their respective countries have similar rules to Korea following overseas travel.
"The tourist hotspot of Myeongdong is emptier than ever.
In fact, only around 180 Chinese tourists came to Korea in May, a massive drop from the 410-thousand who visited during the same period last year."
Almost all flights from China, except one route per airline, have been suspended.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has banned overseas group travel until the end of July.
As a result of such strict travel restrictions, the number of foreign visitors to Korea in May dropped 99-percent compared to the previous month.
In fact, there have been zero foreigners arriving into Jeju International Airport from overseas since April.
And travel in summer and fall doesn't look too promising, either.
"There are hopes that vaccines may revitalize travel demand. But if there is no system that can completely calm this contagious disease, the demand will not go back to how it used to be."
Some countries have reopened their borders and are welcoming foreigners, but resurgences in COVID-19 infections across the globe further hints at a gloomy outlook for the travel industry.
Kim Dami, Arirang News.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered travel plans for people all around the world,... dealing a significant blow to the travel industry.
In fact, the number of tourists arriving in South Korea in May was so low... that there were more local crew members on board planes and ships... than there were foreign visitors.
Arirang's Kim Dami reports.
With the coronavirus impeding global travel,... fewer people are visiting South Korea.
In fact, according to the Korea Tourism Organization on Monday, only around six-thousand overseas tourists came to Korea in May.
That's far fewer than the 13-thousand crew members working on flights and ships during the same time.
Since it came into effect in April, South Korea's two-week long mandatory self-quarantine has made travel difficult.
Some tourists may even NEED to spend a total of four weeks in self-quarantine if their respective countries have similar rules to Korea following overseas travel.
"The tourist hotspot of Myeongdong is emptier than ever.
In fact, only around 180 Chinese tourists came to Korea in May, a massive drop from the 410-thousand who visited during the same period last year."
Almost all flights from China, except one route per airline, have been suspended.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has banned overseas group travel until the end of July.
As a result of such strict travel restrictions, the number of foreign visitors to Korea in May dropped 99-percent compared to the previous month.
In fact, there have been zero foreigners arriving into Jeju International Airport from overseas since April.
And travel in summer and fall doesn't look too promising, either.
"There are hopes that vaccines may revitalize travel demand. But if there is no system that can completely calm this contagious disease, the demand will not go back to how it used to be."
Some countries have reopened their borders and are welcoming foreigners, but resurgences in COVID-19 infections across the globe further hints at a gloomy outlook for the travel industry.
Kim Dami, Arirang News.