If That's the Case, Just Go Back to Your Hometown... Ski Resorts and Tourist Spots Say "No Vacancies"

7 out of 10 Ski Resorts in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and Gangwon Have Over 90% of Lodging Booked
Citizens Who Gave Up Returning Home and Cooperated with Quarantine Feel Frustrated: "We Will Be Angry If Another Outbreak Occurs"

On the afternoon of the 7th, visitors lined up to wait for the lift at a ski resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. The photo is not directly related to the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Donghoon Jeong and Jeongyun Lee] During the Lunar New Year holiday, tourist spots are expected to be crowded with people heading to leisure or travel destinations instead of their residences or hometowns due to COVID-19.

On the 10th, Asia Economy inquired at 10 ski resorts in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon Province, and found that at 7 of them, more than 90% of accommodations (hotels and condos within the ski resorts) were booked for the Lunar New Year holiday period (February 11?13). Although most of the accommodations are relatively expensive, such as hotels and condos, most rooms at popular ski resorts near the metropolitan area were already reserved last month when online and phone reservations began. Ski resort accommodations must operate only two-thirds of their total rooms according to quarantine authorities' guidelines, but they continue to experience a 'sold-out streak.' The previous afternoon, attempts to consult with several places were met with difficulty even in getting through by phone. Some resorts had as many as 57 people waiting on the phone for consultation. People had to wait tens of minutes to get assistance. Only a few rooms were available for reservation. Ski Resort A, which has over 400 rooms, had only one 33-pyeong (approximately 109 square meters) room available for booking.

Many people are also visiting tourist attractions. The expected number of tourists is 300,000 in Gangwon Province and 140,000 in Jeju Island. Jeju Island has even established a strong response plan, including claiming damages, against tourists who cause harm to quarantine efforts by refusing pre-arrival testing.

On the 8th, three days before the Lunar New Year holiday, a banner urging people to refrain from visiting their hometowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was hung at the entrance road of Donghae City, Gangwon Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Those who give up returning home to cooperate with preventing the spread of COVID-19 express feelings of frustration. According to a public opinion survey conducted by Gallup Korea from February 2 to 4 among 1,002 adults nationwide aged 18 and over, only 12% planned to visit their hometowns for at least one night during this Lunar New Year, and only 1% planned to travel without visiting their hometown. Eighty-six percent responded that they had no plans to leave their homes for one night or more. Office worker Shin Hye-in (31) said, "Because of COVID-19, I even gave up the desire to visit my nephew and decided not to go to my hometown," adding, "If people flock to tourist spots at a time when we still need to be patient and another cluster infection occurs, I think I will be very angry."

When an unspecified large number of people gather simultaneously in multi-use facilities, the probability of infection increases and it becomes difficult to trace the source of infection. Professor Eun-mi Cheon of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said, "If people go to tourist spots instead of their hometowns, many people inevitably gather and come into contact in facilities such as hotels and restaurants," adding, "On the other hand, visiting a hometown or parents' house involves fewer contacts. It is safer to visit your parents."

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