"No Specific Travel Plans" Homebodies Giving Up Travel Due to COVID-19

One in Three Adults Plans to Rest at Home During Golden Holiday
Health Authorities Urge Strict Adherence to Quarantine Rules During Holidays
Travel Agencies Report Almost No Demand Through Agencies

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I don't have any specific travel plans," "I'm worried about my health, and I feel self-conscious about traveling."

Im Mo (28), an office worker who used to travel every year after getting a job, gave up traveling even during the golden holiday period. He said, "Isn't it the COVID-19 situation? Recently, the news has been advising people to refrain from traveling and practice 'social distancing.' Hearing this made me not really want to travel," adding, "I plan to stay home during this holiday. Even if I go out, I will be satisfied with just visiting nearby places."

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), more people are choosing to rest at home rather than travel. Since overseas travel is practically banned and health authorities recommend social distancing, it is considered difficult to enjoy traveling comfortably. As a result, travel agencies are still facing difficulties.

Office worker Kim Mo (25) also chose rest over travel. He said, "Others are making plans to go out during the golden holiday, but I decided to just stay home," adding, "Because of COVID-19, I feel uneasy about going outside to play, and it's obvious that places will be crowded, so I just want to rest well at home."

He continued, "During the last golden holiday, I was a job seeker, so I traveled with friends. I planned to travel with friends again this year, but I decided to stay home because if I got sick after going, it could cause problems returning to work after the holiday."

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

One in three adults did not make any special plans even during the holiday period. On the 28th, a survey conducted by the job portal Incruit and AlbaCall from the 21st to 24th targeting 1,345 adults found that 17.3% responded that they would 'rest at home' during the holiday, ranking first. The second most common response was 'no special plans' at 16.6%.

In particular, when asked whether they would participate in 'social distancing' during this golden holiday, 56.1% answered 'I will try to follow it,' and 39.1% answered 'strongly agree.' This means that 9 out of 10 respondents said they would continue social distancing.

Earlier, health authorities also urged continued practice of social distancing, saying "the outbreak is ongoing." Jung Eun-kyung, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, emphasized at a regular briefing held at the agency on the 27th, "Although the number of new domestic confirmed cases has decreased, the situation is not yet safe, and COVID-19 is still an ongoing epidemic." She also urged strict adherence to quarantine rules during the upcoming 'golden holiday' period.

Some argue that due to the blocked air routes caused by COVID-19, people have no choice but to stay home. Currently, 151 countries worldwide have imposed entry bans on Koreans. Usually, airports are crowded with people planning overseas trips during the golden holiday, but with air routes blocked due to COVID-19, many are forced to rest at home.

However, some tourists are choosing domestic travel, including Jeju Island, instead of overseas trips. On the 29th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters predicted that about 180,000 tourists would visit Jeju Island from April 30 to May 5.

University student Kim Mo (25) also chose to go to Jeju Island. He said, "I decided to travel because I thought I wouldn't be able to travel freely once I become an office worker," adding, "Since it's a difficult situation due to COVID-19, I will carefully follow quarantine rules and travel cautiously."

However, travel agencies are still facing difficulties. Most major travel agencies, including Hana Tour, the largest domestic travel agency, and Mode Tour, the second largest, operate mainly focusing on overseas travel for domestic travelers.

A Hana Tour official said, "There is almost no demand through travel agencies. Instead of enjoying travel through agencies, tourists are traveling individually on free tours." He added, "Currently, travel demand has shifted more to domestic travel than overseas. However, since few people use travel agencies for domestic trips, we don't really feel that the number of travelers has increased."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.