According to the latest statistics released by the Korea Tourism Organization, a total of 364,337 Koreans visited the United States in the first quarter, up 393.8% from 73,779 over the same period last year.
In fact, according to the Korean American travel industry in Los Angeles, the number of Korean inbound travelers to Los Angeles this year is up to 200% higher than last year.
“It’s up more than 30% compared to the beginning of the year, and it’s still growing,” said Youngim Shin, vice president of Samho Tours. “Travelers are not even talking about COVID-19 now,” said Shin. “As summer approaches, people are flocking to Yellowstone, Canada, Alaska, Costa Rica, and other destinations.”
“Vaccine mandate lift has definitely increased our inbound travelers by at least 40% over the last year,” said Helen Park, director of Aju Tours. Some of the most popular tour packages for Koreans are the 7-day Midwest tour package, which includes Las Vegas, the Three Gorges, Yosemite, San Francisco, and Solvang, and the four-day Yellowstone package, which includes stops in Pocatello, Salt Lake, and Grand Teton.”
“Our inbound team is experiencing a 200% year-over-year increase due to a surge in overall tourism demand,” said Moon-sik Lee, director of Blue Tours. “Our most popular tour package is the 7-day tour program that covers the four western canyons, San Francisco, and Sedona. We’re also seeing an increase in requests for additional stops to Yellowstone and Alaska.”
Small group tours, themed trips, and customized trips are also reportedly becoming popular.
Grace Lee, a team leader at Four Seasons Tour and Travel, said, “The number of small groups of four to six family members visiting the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Sedona, and San Francisco has increased by about 80% from last year. We are also seeing an increase in inquiries and bookings for winery tours and golf tours. In particular, we’ve seen a significant increase in bookings for cruises to Alaska and Mexico, which are not readily available in Korea.”
Billy Jang, CEO of Elite Adventure Tours, said, “We’re up about 30% from last year. Private tours to the Western Canyon, train trips to the Canadian Rockies, Alaskan cruises, and golf tours to famous golf resorts are popular.”
Incentive travels, where South Korean local government employees or companies visit for business purposes, are also on the rise.
“We don’t offer inbound tours, but our incentive travel package bookings are approaching pre-pandemic levels as we’ve seen a surge in inquiries from organizations, groups, and businesses that have been unable to come to the United States due to the pandemic,” said Steve Cho, vice president of Mire Travel. “After their official business schedules, their favorite tour packages are of Las Vegas, San Francisco, Yosemite, the three canyons, and monument tours.”
Aju Tours also organized an incentive tour at the request of the Korean fan club members of Kim Hojoong, who held a concert in Los Angeles last month.
The Korean American tour industry expects the increase in travel demand, not only inbound but also home visits and domestic travels, to continue throughout the summer season.
BY NAKI PARK [support@koreadaily.com]
