"Let's Have a Year-End Party This Year"... Booking Year-End Gatherings in the 'With Corona' Era

Travel Also Increases
Accommodation Bookings Fully Booked

On the first day of the phased daily recovery (With Corona) Step 1, citizens are moving around the food alley in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 1st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "I don't even remember the last time I spent the year-end with my friends. I'm already looking forward to it."

Imo (24), a university senior, immediately decided to hold a year-end party with her friends upon hearing the news of With Corona. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she used to spend the last moments of the year with six close university classmates. However, due to social distancing and concerns about infection, the annual event was suspended, and it was difficult to even see each other regularly. She said, "With the start of the With Corona policy and all my friends having been vaccinated, we plan to gather at the end of the year. Just being able to plan a year-end party makes me feel like normal life is returning, and I'm happy."

With the With Corona policy as a turning point, more people are planning year-end gatherings with acquaintances. Most multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes can now operate 24 hours, freeing people from the 'burden' of having to go home by 10 p.m. The increase in vaccinated individuals has relatively reduced worries about infection, and as the COVID-19 situation has prolonged, people have developed some tolerance.

Office worker Jeong (32) has already made plans for a high school reunion and has started looking for a venue. He expects that people who had been withdrawn due to social distancing will come out onto the streets during the year-end. Jeong said, "We tried to meet friends during last Chuseok holiday, but it was canceled, so this time we definitely want to meet. Although it might be a bit early, I am preparing in advance because I think it will become difficult to book restaurants at year-end like before."

The number of people traveling domestically and abroad has also increased. On travel-related online cafes, posts requesting recommendations for domestic and overseas travel destinations or good places to visit on 'red days' such as Christmas or New Year's Day are easy to find. A representative of an accommodation facility in Jeju said, "December reservations are already fully booked," adding, "Inquiries keep coming in, so you need to hurry to make reservations for January next year as well."

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