Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to Support Damages for Accommodation Facilities and Ski Resorts with Year-End and New Year Usage Restrictions

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 29th that, in consultation with the financial authorities, it will provide partial support for damages to tourism accommodation facilities and winter sports facilities such as ski resorts, whose operations are restricted under the 'Year-end and New Year Quarantine Strengthening Special Measures.'

First, 13.3 billion KRW will be provided for quarantine expenses, including facility disinfection, throughout 2021 for hotels and condos where room usage is limited to within 50%. Additionally, 1 billion KRW will be allocated for education costs for workers at tourism accommodation facilities, including quarantine and safety. The tourism fund loans will be expanded to 594 billion KRW in 2021, and for loans due for repayment next year, 1,000 KRW will have their repayment deferred by one year.

Small-scale accommodation facilities that meet the criteria for small business owners can receive small business damage support funds. While general industries receive 1 million KRW, industries restricted by gathering limits such as those with room usage restrictions can receive an additional 1 million KRW.

Regarding the sports industry, 6 billion KRW will be provided as support funds to maintain jobs for 3,000 short-term ski resort workers, and 2.5 billion KRW will be allocated to strengthen quarantine measures at winter sports facilities such as ski resorts, sledding hills, and ice rinks. Ski resorts using national forests during the gathering ban period will be exempt from national property lease fees.

To support sports facilities facing difficulties due to gathering bans, the scale of sports loans will be expanded from the existing 106.2 billion KRW to 136.2 billion KRW, with the increased 30 billion KRW prioritized for winter sports facilities. Winter sports equipment rental businesses, such as ski equipment rental, will also be added to the loan target industries to receive sports loan benefits. Companies that have already received loan support will have their principal repayment period and maturity extended by one year.

For indoor sports facilities, 5,000 excellent quarantine indoor sports facilities will be selected to receive quarantine expenses and rewards totaling 5 billion KRW. The non-face-to-face sports lesson market development project will be increased from the existing 3.9 billion KRW to 6.9 billion KRW.

Sports companies such as sports facility businesses that qualify as small business owners with fewer than five employees can receive damage support funds ranging from 1 million to 3 million KRW from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Businesses with decreased sales due to COVID-19 will receive 1 million KRW, businesses subject to operating hour restrictions will receive 2 million KRW, and businesses subject to gathering bans will receive 3 million KRW. Small-scale ancillary businesses within winter sports facilities under gathering bans, such as restaurants, karaoke rooms, saunas, and sports equipment stores, will also be considered gathering-ban industries and receive 3 million KRW if they qualify as small business owners.

Additionally, indoor sports facility operators subject to gathering bans can receive employment retention support funds from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, covering up to 67% of the suspension allowance paid to workers during the closure period (daily cap of 66,000 KRW, within 180 days per year). Furthermore, an integrated consultation window will be operated to provide easy-to-understand guidance on various support projects not only from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism but also from government departments such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor to assist with COVID-19 damage support counseling and information.

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