20,000-Won Protective Glasses Sold 70 Million Units..."Making a Fortune from the Solar Eclipse"

Eclipse Glasses Introduced by American Paper Optics
Photo by eclipseglasses

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American Paper Optics is the largest solar eclipse glasses manufacturer in the United States. The protective glasses released this year cost around 2,000 won each. Already, 70 million units have been sold. The company expects a total of 75 million units to be sold, resulting in sales of approximately 150 billion won from just one type of glasses. During the 2017 total solar eclipse, 30 million units were sold, so this year's sales have more than doubled.

Millions of people are traveling en masse to witness the total solar eclipse, where the moon completely covers the sun, and related industries are making huge profits. In the U.S., the total eclipse show starts in Eagle Pass, Texas in the southwest and moves northeast in an upward diagonal path. Hotels, motels, and Airbnb accommodations are experiencing a boom, and skydiving operators offering a closer and more thrilling view of the eclipse are also profiting, according to the American media outlet Business Insider on the 8th.

American Paper Optics introduces eclipse glasses
[Photo by eclipseglasses]

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According to the eclipse tracking website Great American Eclipse, up to 3.7 million people have already joined the 31 million residents living along the eclipse path and are traveling along the eclipse route. Visitors are expected to spend up to $1.6 billion (about 2.6 trillion won) on lodging, activities, food, and fuel, estimated the Texas economic consulting firm Perryman Group. Hotels and Airbnb bookings are fully booked.

The New York Times (NYT) reported that the budget hotel chain Super 8 has over 300 lodging facilities along the entire path, with 100 of them sold out. The 2-star Super 8 location in Grayville, Illinois raised its usual $80 (about 110,000 won) room rate to between $765 and $950, about a tenfold increase. The JW Marriott Hotel in Dallas, Texas also more than doubled its standard room rate, which was around 500,000 won. Airbnb has 110,000 available accommodations, of which 88% are fully booked.

Path of the Total Solar Eclipse in the United States

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Fox News reported that a group of 30 skydivers plans to jump in northern New York. Tickets for the dive, hosted by a local company, sold out within seven minutes of going on sale in January. The plan is to jump one minute before the total eclipse and fully enjoy the eclipse under the parachute. A similar event held in Dallas also sold out $250 skydiving tickets.

Restaurants are maximizing the celestial event with eclipse-themed menus and special offerings. Companies like Smoothie King, Applebee’s, and Sonic are offering special smoothies and margaritas themed around the eclipse, as well as a commemorative 'Blackout' drink to celebrate the event.

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