"Domestic Travel Plans This Year" Drop 70% Compared to Pre-COVID-19 Levels

Korea Tourism Organization Announces Key Findings of National Domestic Travel Impact Survey

Citizens visiting Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul are enjoying the holiday while practicing social distancing. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis prolongs, interest in domestic travel among our citizens has sharply declined.

According to the 'COVID-19 Impact Survey on Domestic Travel by Citizens' released by the Korea Tourism Organization on the 10th, before the full-scale outbreak of COVID-19, our citizens planned an average of about six domestic trips per year, but after the spread of the infectious disease, the average dropped to 1.8 trips, a decrease of about 70%. This survey was conducted from May 7 to 17 targeting 19,529 people through the 'Korea Tourism Organization's official website "Korea Travel Easy" and social network service (SNS) channels, as well as the exclusive online mall for the worker vacation support project, "Holiday Shop".

84.9% of respondents reported that they had planned domestic travel during the social distancing period (February 23 to May 5) but canceled those plans. The group traveling with children under 15 years old showed the largest decrease, with travel plans dropping from 6.5 trips before COVID-19 to 1.9 trips after, and the cancellation rate during the social distancing period was 87.5%, exceeding the overall average.

During the everyday distancing period (from May 6), 69.9% of respondents agreed with the opinion that "it is advisable not to travel." Meanwhile, 30.1% believed that "if COVID-19 prevention guidelines are properly followed, traveling is acceptable."

Regarding the timing of domestic travel, the highest preference was for after September at 33.9%, followed by "mid to late June" at 12.7%, "July" at 13.6%, and "August" at 10.3%.

As for the first preferred destination upon resuming domestic travel, Jeju Island was chosen most frequently (43.3%), followed by Gangwon-do (23.4%), Gyeongsang-do (14.0%), Busan (10.4%), Jeolla-do (6.9%), Gyeonggi-do (1.3%), and Chungcheong-do (0.7%). Among single regions rather than metropolitan cities or provinces, Yeosu (4.7%), Gangneung (4.5%), and Gyeongju (4.4%) received many selections.

Due to concerns about COVID-19 spread, there was a high preference for less crowded or hidden travel spots (34%), outdoor visits (8%), and short-distance travel (3%). Respondents also preferred private cars over public transportation, day trips over overnight stays, and independent pensions or camping instead of multi-occupancy accommodations.

Regarding travel companions, the vast majority of respondents chose family (99.6%), while larger groups such as social clubs or gatherings (0.1%), relatives (0.8%), and coworkers (1.1%) tended to be avoided, clearly showing an overall change in travel patterns due to COVID-19.

Jung Chang-wook, head of the National Tourism Strategy Team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "We are collaborating with local governments, RTOs, and other tourism-related organizations to strengthen the discovery of hidden tourist spots so that citizens can travel with peace of mind." He added, "We plan to actively discover and promote untact (contactless) tourist destinations suitable for the new normal tourism environment."

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