Increased Performances, Travel, and Leisure Activities... Annual Leave Usage Also Rises

Recovery in Cultural and Arts Attendance
Slower Recovery Among Older Adults and Low-Income Groups
Increase in Annual Leave Usage for Leisure

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] It has been confirmed that the proportion of people attending cultural and artistic events has significantly increased.

According to the "2022 National Cultural and Artistic Activities Survey, National Leisure Activities Survey, and Workers' Vacation Survey" released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the "direct attendance rate at cultural and artistic events (hereafter attendance rate)" this year was 58.1%, up 24.5 percentage points from the previous year. Although it has not yet reached pre-COVID-19 levels, it shows a recovery trend. It fell to 33.6% in 2021 from 81.8% in 2019 but recovered to 58.1% this year.

There were differences by age group and income level. The attendance rate of the elderly group (70 years and older) rose by 9.2 percentage points from 5.6% last year to 14.8%, while the attendance rate of the younger group (in their 20s) increased by 26.8 percentage points from 63.8% to 90.6%.

The attendance rate of the low-income group (monthly household income below 1 million KRW) increased by only 2.7 percentage points. The attendance rate of the high-income group (monthly household income above 6 million KRW) rose by 24.7 percentage points.

Monthly average leisure expenditure was 176,000 KRW, an increase of 27,000 KRW compared to the previous year. This is estimated to be due to the recovery of leisure activities and the rise in consumer prices. Overall satisfaction with leisure life rose by 6.9 percentage points from the previous year to 56.6%, recovering to the 2019 pre-COVID-19 level of 56.5%.

The workers' vacation survey covered the period from January to December 2021, which was affected by COVID-19. The "annual leave utilization rate," the ratio of actual used annual leave, was 76.1%, up 4.5 percentage points from the previous year. The experience rate of using long-term leave of five days or more was 9.5%, maintaining a low level compared to 18.2% in 2019. The proportion of annual leave used for rest decreased from 38.7% the previous year to 30.9%, while the proportion used for travel and leisure activities increased from 31.2% to 45.2%.

A policy official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "This survey confirmed that cultural enjoyment and leisure activities are recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels," adding, "The Ministry will continue to implement various policies to create a society where everyone can enjoy culture and be connected through culture."

Detailed information can be found later on the Culture Center website and the Cultural Arts Knowledge Information System.

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