Travelers wait in line to check out at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on March 21, 2022, the first day of the abolition of the quarantine for fully vaccinated international travelers. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Demand for overseas travel is recovering as the government has lifted various quarantine policies including social distancing measures.
Hana Tour Inc., South Korea’s top travel agency, reported 1,272 honeymoon reservations last month, accounting for up to 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Reservations have jumped more than tenfold since February before the government lifted two-week quarantine rules for travelers entering the country.
Among honeymoon reservations last month, 57.7 percent were for Hawaii, followed by the Maldives (17.5 percent) and Guam (14.8 percent).
“More than half of all honeymoon reservations last month were booked for the period between April and June,” an industry source said.
Very Good Tour Co. reported foreign travel reservations of 23,842 people last month, accounting for 32 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The highest recovery rate of reservations was seen in travel to Hawaii, where 3,019 people, accounting for 88.1 percent of April 2019 levels (3,425 people), have made reservations. Most of the travelers are newly married couples going on a belated honeymoon.
Reservations for trips to European countries jumped to 13,656 people, accounting for 70.9 percent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
