People visit Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on the Chuseok holiday on Oct. 1, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Small cities in relatively quiet provinces gained higher attention from local tourists compared to famous tourist attractions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Korea Tourism Organization released a report on Thursday that analyzed last year’s trends based on data from BC Card Co., a credit card processing firm.
The report showed that credit card usage at travel-related businesses in region with numerous famous tourist attractions declined.
The usage of BC credit cards at travel-related businesses in Seoul’s Jongno District, an area congested with many tourist attractions including Gyeongbok Palace and Gwanghwamun Square, totaled 1.6 billion won (US$1.45 million) last year, a 95 percent plunge from a year ago.
The use of credit cards on Jeju Island amounted to 275 million won last year, down 58 percent year on year, while usage in Seoul’s Yongsan neighborhood declined by 96 percent year on year to 1.05 million won.
The figure for Jeonju’s Wansan District, an area where the famous Hanok Village is located, plunged to 2.06 million won, down 79 percent year on year.
In contrast, less popular locations such as Pocheon, Boseong and Pyeongchang saw the usage amount of credit cards rise by 127 percent, 105 percent and 33 percent, respectively, year on year, to 63.94 million won, 30.83 million won and 413.59 million won.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
