As cities like Venice and Paris can attest to, welcoming droves of tourists every year can be too much of a good thing, a sentiment the residents of Jeju are in agreement with according to the Jeju branch of the Bank of Korea. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – As citizens of Venice and Paris can attest to, welcoming droves of tourists every year can be too much of a good thing, a sentiment the residents of Jeju are in agreement with according to the Jeju branch of the Bank of Korea.
On November 20, the central bank of South Korea published a study that focused on the “touristification” of Jeju and the impact it had on the denizens of the island. The word touristification is a portmanteau of “tourist” and “gentrification”.
Included in the study were the results of a survey of 200 residents in ten different districts. The majority of the respondents stated that the surge in tourist numbers had affected their own lives in mostly negative ways. Real estate prices and crime levels were reported as having climbed while environmental cleanliness was judged to have diminished.
The subjective observations of the respondents were found to be in line with official statistics; crimes committed per individual, garbage generated, real estate prices and other measurements tied to quality of life had worsened to concerning levels. (Image: Yonhap)
The subjective observations of the respondents were found to be in line with official statistics; crimes committed per individual, garbage generated, real estate prices and other measurements tied to quality of life had worsened to concerning levels.
The Bank of Korea stressed the need for measures to address the negative perspective of Jeju residents on the tourism industry as a whole and to modify regulations that govern the industry.
Some ideas proposed were setting a cap on the number of incoming tourists and providing facilities and programs for residents who have suffered from the growth of the island’s popularity as a tourist destination.
The need for a framework that would fairly distribute the proceeds from the island’s tourism industry amongst its residents is also urgently needed, the report declared.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
