South Korean travel agencies lessened by nearly 1,000 since COVID-19 first broke out in China last fall.

According to the Korea Tourism Association on Wednesday, the number of travel agencies in Korea was tallied at 21,671 as of the end of June, losing 612 or 2.7 percent from six months ago.

Against late September last year when the number of local travel agencies peaked at 22,609 and before the COVID-19 outbreak, the figure lost 938 or 4.1 percent.

The number of travel agencies started falling in late December last year when the outbreak of COVID-19 was publicly reported, hitting to 22,283, and the falling rate accelerated since March due largely to the pandemic-driven closure of borders across the globe. It declined to 22,115 in late March and 21,671 in late June.

From last September to June this year, outbound travel agencies decreased by 633 (6.5 percent) to 9,099, and domestic travel agencies down 378 (5.4 percent) to 6,661. Those who engage in both overseas and domestic travels increased 73 (1.3 percent) to 5,911.

Foreign visitors to Korea tumbled 74.7 percent on year to stop at 2,138,636 in the first six months, and Korean outbound travelers down 74.5 percent to 382,755 amid continued lockdowns and two-week self-quarantine orders for international arrivals across the world.

The government went out to promote travel by offering discount tickets for accommodations to boost the demand for domestic travels in May but faced obstacles amid the resurgence in virus infections.

Losses have been snowballed at travel agencies that have completely become idle. Some of them applied for the government support for employees, but others cut their payroll or opted for a business closure.

The government recently extended state subsidy to support their employment retention by another six months until March 31, 2021. It is the last resort to save the tour industry seeking unpaid leave offers to employees and layoffs.

By Pulse

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