As the number of overseas travelers increased due to the resumption of international flights, the Jeju tourist market also returned to the pre-COVID-19 level.
According to the Jeju Tourism Association on the 2nd, a total of 1,021,813 tourists visited Jeju in February, including 1,008,213 locals and 13,600 foreigners.
This is similar to last year’s 1,029,503. In the case of January, as large-scale flight cancellations occurred due to heavy snow, etc., the number decreased from 1,170,802 in 2022 to 1,032,565 this year.
The number of cumulative tourists from January to February increased from 2,052,287 in 2018 to 2,241,660 in 2019, but fell to 1,261,784 in 2021, which was hit directly by Corona 19.
Last year, as demand for overseas travel rushed to Jeju due to the closure of international flights, the number rose again to 2,200,305. Among them, 2,193,256, or 99.7%, were Koreans.
Although the number of tourists has remained at the normal level, some of the individual tourists have turned to international flights. Due to the demand for overseas travel that has accumulated due to Corona 19, the number of flights to Japan and Southeast Asia has increased significantly.
Instead, the vacancy of individual tourists is being filled by group tourists. In the aftermath, the concentration of luxury hotels has declined, and the atmosphere of the rental car industry, which was enjoying a boom, has also changed.
In the case of mid-size cars, which went up and down 150,000 won per day last year, it has now fallen to 50,000 to 60,000 won. Recently, even a rental car company has appeared that rents a mid-size car at a discount of 20,000 to 30,000 won per 24 hours.
Even if international flights are resumed in the future, it is expected that the joys and sorrows of each industry will be mixed as they will be concentrated on group tourists. The representative industries where economic recovery is expected are chartered buses, casinos for foreigners, and downtown duty-free shops.