People look at camping equipment at an exhibition held in the southeastern port city of Busan, in this file photo taken June 9, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s imports of camping and hiking equipment rose 2.5 percent on-year through October this year, data showed Wednesday, as more people enjoyed activities avoiding crowds amid the pandemic.
The combined imports of leisure equipment, including camping and hiking gear, came to US$304 million in the January-October period, rising from $297 million posted a year earlier, the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service showed.
It also marked a sharp rise from just $148 million posted for all of 2019.
“The increase came as more people enjoyed hiking and camping as they avoided crowds by visiting areas outside cities amid the spread of the virus,” the agency said.
By sector, imports of hiking shoes nearly doubled on-year to reach $30.8 million in the 10-month period.
Imports of tents also moved up 4.4 percent over the period to $153 million, the data showed.
(Yonhap)
