‘Not a single customer’: South Korea’s Jeju Island struggles as Chinese tourists desert it
The ‘Hawaii of South Korea’ is feeling the heat as Beijing bans package tours to the country after a diplomatic spat over a missile system, but some see hope in domestic visitors
Quiet shopping streets, empty restaurants and deserted duty-free stores are the new normal in the South Korea tourist island of Jeju after a dramatic collapse in the number of Chinese visitors.
China has banned travel agencies from selling package tours to South Korea in protest at Seoul’s decision earlier this year to deploy a controversial, US-made missile defence system that Beijing sees as a threat to its security.
The ban is still in place for China’s eight-day “Golden Week” national holiday period that began on October 1, and Jeju Island, known as the Hawaii of South Korea, has been hardest hit because 90 per cent of its foreign visitors come from China, whether for honeymoons, to enjoy its golf courses or for family holidays.
“There used to be 300 to 400 guides for Chinese tourists on the island, but now there are no more than 50,” said Park Jung-kwan, a 39-year-old Chinese native who migrated to Jeju to work as a tour guide and hire-car driver.
Park said his business has fallen by at least 50 per cent from last year, even though he targets mostly individual travellers who are not covered by the package tour ban.
