South Korea: tourism at lowest in 32 years

The tally of visitors coming from East Asia and the Pacific region was down 84 per cent from January to October.

South Korea.- According to figures released by the Korea Tourism Organization, the volume of visitors from East Asia and the Pacific region in the first 10 months of this year fell by close to 84 per cent year-on-year, to just under 1.9 million.

The same period in 2019 saw 12.1 million visitors from those regions.

Vistors from the East Asia and Pacific region have accounted for circa 79 per cent of all arrivals so far in 2020.

The aggregate number of foreigners who visited the country in the January to October period was just under 2.4 million, also down 84 per cent year-on-year from the nearly 14.6 million in the same period last year.

The numbers put inbound tourism at its lowest level in 32 years.

In a country where only one casino, Kangwon Land, is allowed to serve local gamblers, international tourism is vital to the industry.

Casinos in South Korea have faced repeated closures due to Covid-19. Currently. The greater Seoul region, encompassing South Korea’s capital,  is currently operating Level 2.5 social-distancing measures.