VI
EN
According to the travel website Travel Tomorrow, Asian countries have eased travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the process has been slower than in other continents, which has somewhat slowed down the recovery of tourism.
Recently, China also ended its 0-Covid policy, and neighboring countries saw a greater demand for Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday. A recent report from Phocuswright suggests that the tourism recovery in Asian countries will not take long. The analysis examined Northeast Asia, particularly South Korea, showing a resurgence in the tourism industry with increased demand for online services.
Illustrative image. Source: Yonhap
Considering the total number of bookings in 2021, South Korea clearly leads as a regional travel destination. Looking at the proportion of online bookings, the difference becomes even more apparent. The country accounted for 61% of all online bookings made in Northeast Asia in 2021.
"Although severe travel restrictions and the lack of Chinese tourists pose challenges for the region, the downturn is not expected to be prolonged. Looking ahead, the tourism industry can be optimistic as the return of Chinese tourists and the resumption of air connectivity across the Asia-Pacific market will increase the number of visitors from other markets," Phocuswright said, predicting that tourism revenue in Northeast Asia will surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
The analysis also shows that smartphones are increasingly used, serving the needs of travelers booking services for their holidays. Although the rate of online bookings via mobile devices peaked in 2021, the report predicts that smartphone app transactions will continue to increase in the near future, easily surpassing 2019 levels this year and more than doubling the 2019 record by 2025.
"The smartphone-based travel sector will continue to grow in South Korea. Domestic online travel brands such as Good Choice, Yanolja, MyRealTrip, and Tidesquare have wisely invested in technology during the pandemic to attract large domestic bookings and prepare for the upcoming surge in international travel," Phocuswright emphasized.
South Korea is focusing on developing tourism services on digital platforms and views this as part of its plan to attract 30 million foreign tourists by 2027. Following its reopening to international tourism on April 1, 2022, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced measures including easing travel-related restrictions to attract 30 million tourists by 2027, as borders around the world reopen.
Through digital tourism platform services and storytelling travel programs featuring South Korea, including cities like Gyeongju, Jeju, Suwon, Busan, Chuncheon, and of course, the capital Seoul, the South Korean tourism industry hopes to further develop in the coming years.
In addition, KTO also announced plans to collaborate with the metaverse platform Zepeto to design a "Korean Village Tourism World" based on eight different tourism themes.
