Tourist percentage dropped down on ‘Chinese Golden Week’ in S. Korea
The number of tourists using the week-long national holiday to visit South Korea plunged 70 percent this year, said China’s largest travel website Ctrip.com International.
The drop in numbers is the latest sign of an economic fallout over the differing approaches to North Korea taken by South Korea and China.
South Korea did not make the top 20 destinations for the more than six million Ctrip users traveling abroad during the “Golden Week” holiday, which began last Friday. The country was ranked No. 1 during the same period last year, the firm said. Thailand rose from the No. 2 spot to become this year’s top destination for Ctrip’s 300 million users.
About a fifth of outbound Chinese travelers were visiting Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai, the firm said. Japan and Singapore were the most popular destinations in Thailand.
Chinese tourists were expected to spend about 9,800 yuan (S$2,000) each, and were more willing to pay for experiences rather than consumer goods, the report said. Chinese travelers spent US$261 billion (S$356 billion) overseas last year. And more of them are also opting for staycations – a boon for domestic tourism operators. Source: Straits Times
