Due to Social Distancing Level 2 Upgrade... Accommodation Discount Coupons Issuance Suspended Starting Today

The Worker Vacation Support Program Will Also Be Suspended from 12 AM on the 24th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Starting from the 24th, as social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area are raised from the current Level 1.5 to Level 2, the Korea Tourism Organization's accommodation discount coupon support and worker vacation support programs will be temporarily suspended.

The Tourism Organization announced that the issuance of accommodation discount coupons will be halted from 10 a.m. on the 23rd. The worker vacation support program will be suspended from midnight on the 24th.

The accommodation discount coupon program aims to revitalize domestic tourism by providing discount coupons on a first-come, first-served basis to a total of 1 million people for use when booking accommodations. It distributes 200,000 coupons worth 30,000 KRW usable at accommodations priced under 70,000 KRW, and 800,000 coupons worth 40,000 KRW usable at accommodations priced over 70,000 KRW. After its launch in August, the program was suspended once within a week due to the spread of COVID-19.

Issuance resumed on the 4th, but with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the stepwise elevation of social distancing levels, issuance has been suspended again after about three weeks.

The worker vacation support program allows participating companies and workers to use a total of 400,000 KRW for domestic travel expenses, with workers paying 200,000 KRW and the government and companies each contributing 100,000 KRW.

A Tourism Organization official stated, "The future schedule and resumption timing of the suspended programs will be finalized after government discussions." The government also plans to soon establish specific policies regarding the continuation of the other eight major consumer coupon programs, including those for performances, movies, exhibitions, sports, dining out, and agricultural and marine products.

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