Korea Tourism Organization Resumes 'Korea Accommodation Grand Sale'

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Donghyun] The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 4th that it will start the first phase of the nationwide edition of the “Korea Accommodation Festival with ESG” project, which provides domestic accommodation discount coupons in line with the phased recovery of daily life, from the 9th.

The accommodation discount coupon support project provided accommodation discount benefits to about 520,000 people in August and November last year, contributing to revitalizing the local tourism industry by creating new travel demand, but the project was suspended after November due to the spread of COVID-19. Resuming after about a year, this year’s Accommodation Festival will issue two types of coupons worth 20,000 KRW and 30,000 KRW. The number of participating businesses has more than doubled compared to last year, with about 28,000 accommodations participating through 47 online travel agencies.

Coupon issuance for the first phase of the nationwide edition will begin at 10 a.m. on the 9th, and anyone can receive discount coupons on a first-come, first-served basis once per person when booking domestic accommodations through a total of 47 participating online travel agencies. The stay period is limited to November 9 to December 23, excluding the year-end and New Year holidays, to activate the off-season domestic tourism market and create additional travel demand.

Coupons can be issued and used daily from 10 a.m. to 7 a.m. the next day. If not used within the valid time or if the reservation is canceled, the coupon will automatically expire. Unused coupons can be reissued from 10 a.m. if the coupon quantity remains. The scale of coupon issuance for the first phase of the nationwide edition is 1.3 million coupons. Coupons worth 20,000 KRW can be used for accommodation fees of 70,000 KRW or less, and coupons worth 30,000 KRW can be used for accommodation fees exceeding 70,000 KRW. Discounted facilities include hotels, condos, resorts, pensions, rural homestays, motels, and other domestic accommodations, but cannot be used for unregistered accommodations or for short-term room rentals.

Meanwhile, the organization is promoting various linked promotions under the slogan “Korea Accommodation Festival with ESG” to lead the practice of social values such as eco-friendliness, coexistence, and regional economic revitalization. These include ▲ an eco-friendly accommodation product exhibition to spread eco-friendly travel culture ▲ establishment of a dedicated support system for disabled customers through a call center and KakaoTalk channel and a prize event for ‘Cultural Nuri Card’ reservation holders ▲ separate operation of a small specialized hall (with 15 small travel agencies) to support promotion for small travel agencies, and ▲ a “regional edition (November 1?3)” that issued 70,000 special discount coupons in collaboration with 10 metropolitan local governments to revitalize regional tourism, which was promoted separately ahead of this nationwide edition event.

In addition, customers who participate in the “Korea Accommodation Festival Pre-Certification Event” (November 4?8) available on each online travel agency’s website before the main event starts can receive various prize benefits and travel information services from “Korea’s Hidden Gems.”

For detailed information on how to use coupons and issuing channels, please refer to the accommodation discount coupon information page on the Korea Tourism Organization’s Korea’s Hidden Gems website.

Ma Jeongmin, head of the National Travel Support Team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, “Since the project was suspended last year, the tourism industry, which has been preparing and waiting for a long time, will be actively supported in promotional activities of participating accommodation businesses, focusing on small travel agencies, so that they can quickly recover and lay the foundation for growth.” He added, “The second phase of the nationwide edition is also scheduled for early next year, and we hope this project will be an opportunity for people exhausted by COVID-19 to return to daily life, enjoy the pleasure of travel, and revitalize the local economy.”

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