Restrictions Recommended for Returning Home and Ancestral Visits... How Much Will Travel Be Limited During the Chuseok Holiday?

The Gapyeong Rest Area on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway heading towards Yangyang is crowded with travelers going on vacation. / Gapyeong = Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The government has requested people to refrain from visiting their hometowns and ancestral graves during the five-day Chuseok holiday starting from the 30th, due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). However, as domestic travel demand shows signs of surging during this period, voices of concern are growing. While some predict that travel-related movement will somewhat decrease compared to previous Chuseok holidays due to prolonged COVID-19 dampening travel sentiment, contrasting trends such as full bookings at accommodations in major tourist spots have made health authorities and local governments tense.

Chuseok Holiday Travel Plan Rate 9.5%
Slightly Lower Than Last Year's 10.3%

According to Consumer Insight, a travel research firm that surveyed 500 people weekly over four weeks before Chuseok (from the 4th week of August to the 2nd week of September), the proportion of respondents planning domestic travel during this year's Chuseok holiday was 9.5% out of a total of 2,000 people surveyed.

This figure is 0.8 percentage points lower than last year's Chuseok (10.3%), which had a four-day holiday, and 1.8 percentage points lower than 2018 (11.3%), which had a similar holiday length and timing. Compared to 2017, when the Chuseok holiday was the longest at 10 days (28.1%), it is about one-third. Compared to 2018, travel plans for domestic trips during Chuseok decreased the most among those aged 50 and above (-3.1 percentage points) and women (-2.5 percentage points).

The proportion of people who purchased transportation or accommodation products also decreased by 8.0 percentage points to 34.9% compared to the previous year. Those who 'only set the timing' accounted for 26.4%, and those who 'only set the destination' accounted for 13.2%, increasing by 4.5 and 2.4 percentage points respectively. This indicates that some people intend to travel for Chuseok but have not yet made reservations.

Industry insiders analyzed, "Although the rate of accommodation travel plans during this year's Chuseok holiday is slightly lower than last year, considering that the holiday is one day longer than last year and overseas travel is impossible, it reflects a mood of refraining from domestic travel. Many travelers have 'undecided destinations,' so the likelihood of actual travel (such as cancellations) may decrease further."

On the weekend of the 26th, just before the Chuseok holiday, many tourists arriving in Jeju are seen wearing masks as they exit Jeju International Airport. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Popular Tourist Spots Like Gangwon and Jeju Stirring Up
Over 90% Accommodation Bookings
Chuseok Quarantine Emergency

The situation in popular tourist destinations such as Gangwon Province and Jeju Island contrasts with the above analysis. A domestic resort's Chuseok holiday booking rate has already exceeded 95%, with facilities along the East Coast, including Gangwon, fully booked. Other inland facilities are also nearing full capacity. At other resorts, the average booking rate for facilities located in major areas is over 90%.

A travel industry official said, "Due to the impact of COVID-19, a travel trend has spread where travelers stay only at accommodations and handle meals and leisure there. Family and acquaintance group travel demand is concentrated on well-equipped hotels, resorts, and pensions, making reservation competition fierce on weekends and holidays."

According to the Jeju Tourism Association, the number of tourists visiting Jeju from the 26th to the 4th of next month is expected to reach 300,000. The booking rate for flights to Jeju during the Chuseok holiday is about 70%, and accommodation and rental car bookings are around 40%.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 27th, there were 95 new confirmed COVID-19 cases domestically. With daily cases fluctuating around 100 recently, the government and health authorities have judged this Chuseok holiday as a critical turning point and decided to implement a 'Chuseok Special Quarantine Plan' nationwide for two weeks from the 28th to the 11th of next month. Measures corresponding to social distancing level 2 will continue as is. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is expected to appeal to the public in a statement on the afternoon of the same day, urging people to refrain from traveling during Chuseok and to strictly follow quarantine rules.

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