[Report] "I earned 140,000 won all day"... The 'Suneung Peak Season' Lost Due to Corona

Industry Insider: "Visitor Numbers Plummet Up to 90%"
Average Daily Revenue of Commercial Buildings Drops from 8 Million Won to 140,000 Won

The scene of Everland located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 12th. It is so quiet that it is hard to find people coming and going.

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-seop and Lee Jun-hyung] On the morning of the 12th at 10 a.m., in front of the indoor ticket booth at Lotte World in Songpa-gu, Seoul, only two out of 30 counters had staff present. Until last year, long lines would form from early morning on weekends after the college entrance exam, but on this day, the scene was quiet as if nothing had happened. Only nine people entered within 20 minutes. It was difficult to find people even inside.

At 3 p.m. the same day, at the free parking lot of Everland located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, only 10 people, including our reporter, boarded the shuttle bus to the amusement park. One visitor, surprised by the quiet atmosphere of the park, said, "I expected it, but I didn't think it would be this empty," shaking their head.

The usual peak season scenes of Everland and Lotte World, which have seen maximum crowds every December due to student discounts and winter vacation events, have completely changed. As social distancing measures were strengthened due to the third wave of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the number of visitors sharply declined, and various amusement and convenience facilities were closed.

The waiting times for each ride at the Everland main gate ticket booth ranged from 0 to 10 minutes. This essentially means there were no queues for any facilities. Lotte World's popular attraction, "Balloon Flight," which usually requires a 60 to 80-minute wait, had no customers waiting that day. Indoor amusement facilities, which pose a high risk of infection, were completely shut down.

One of Lotte World's popular rides, the 'Balloon Flight,' has an empty queue. It is known for having a long wait time, usually over an hour.

80-90% Drop Compared to Peak Season Sales

Visitors to the amusement parks were also bewildered by the changed scenes. Kim (25), who visited Everland with his girlfriend, said, "We didn't come to ride the attractions but to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere," adding, "There was no traffic on the way here, and when we arrived, it was completely empty." Gil (15), met at Lotte World, also said, "I expected it, but I was surprised by how few people there were and how quiet it was."

According to a report from the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, obtained by Park Jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of visitors to major domestic tourist sites from January to August this year decreased by 47% compared to the same period last year. Lotte World saw a 75.2% decrease, and Everland a 60.8% decrease. An industry insider said, "I can't disclose exact figures, but we have been recording negative growth every month," adding, "Compared to last year when the college entrance exam ended, the decrease is about 80 to 90%."

The sense of desolation is shared by internal staff as well. Jeong Young-il (66), who worked as a cleaner at Everland for five years, said, "December is the peak season when 20,000 to 30,000 people usually come, but the number of guests has dropped so much it's indescribable," adding, "I used to clean the park three times a day, but now I only do it once a day." A ride operator at Lotte World also said, "The number of people has dropped severely," and added, "The guest I have now is the sixth one."

A restaurant area in Everland. Operations have been temporarily suspended due to a decrease in usage.

Amusement Park Shops Reaching Their Limits

The blow from the decrease in visitors is directly affecting the shops inside. Most restaurants around the first floor of Lotte World, where the indoor skating rink is located, have temporarily suspended operations. Snack shops have all closed after Lotte World banned eating while walking as part of quarantine measures. In Everland, relatively more restaurants remain open, but many still could not serve customers even during dinner hours.

Shops inside the amusement parks say they have reached their limits. A restaurant operator at Lotte World said, "The first one to two weeks after the college entrance exam are the busiest, and we usually made about 7 to 8 million won a day," adding, "Before COVID-19, the lowest sales record was around 3 million won, but yesterday we earned only 140,000 won." A tarot shop operator who has been running a business at Everland for eight years said, "Usually, 70 to 100 people visit the shop, but today only about six came," complaining, "This is the worst situation I've ever experienced."

Despite the severe impact, industry insiders agree there are no clear solutions. They worry that holding promotions or events to attract people could lead to criticism of being hotspots for COVID-19 transmission. One insider explained, "Although the number of visitors is rapidly decreasing, how can we plan events? All existing events have been canceled."

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