More than a third of Korean routes are suspended or reduced flights The effect is October 29, 16:59

With the deterioration of Japan-Korea relations, since mid-July, there have been a series of suspensions and reductions in flights connecting airports throughout the country to Korea. How much is the airline in the country affected? What is the impact on the tourism industry in each region? I looked it up.
(Social Department Reporter, Sayaka Yamada Reporter, Tottori Bureau, Naofumi Nagayama, Reporter Oita Bureau, Mori Sasaki)

Biggest suspension / reduction

We examined regular flights of “Summer Diamond” from March 31 to October 26.

Since there was no place where information limited to Japan and South Korea was compiled, I interviewed the transportation branch office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism nationwide and compiled it.

As a result, there were approximately 2500 scheduled flights between Japan and South Korea that were initially scheduled to be operated by “Summer Diamond”.

That was reduced to about 1560 flights per week at the end of October.

About 940 flights, more than a third, were suspended or reduced.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there are no unprecedented suspensions or reductions of this scale.

Some airports have lost Korean flights and international flights

Of these, the most affected were ▽ Kansai Airport, 242 flights, then ▽ Fukuoka Airport, 138 flights, ▽ New Chitose Airport, 136 flights, ▽ Narita Airport, 132 flights, etc. There were a series of suspensions and reduced flights.

In addition, at Oita, Yonago, Saga, Komatsu, Toyama, and Ibaraki airports, all scheduled flights to South Korea are suspended, and there are places where there are no Korean flights.

Of these, South Korean flights are suspended at Oita Airport, and all scheduled international flights are lost.

Even in the “Winter Diagram” that started on the 27th of this month, there are many places where there is no prospect of resuming operations, and the impact of the decline in users is becoming more serious.

The airport facilities will be renovated for about 1.6 billion yen.

Yonago Airport in Tottori Prefecture, where all scheduled flights to South Korea were suspended, has been investing approximately 1,650 million yen to renovate the airport facilities.

In addition to expanding the international waiting room and departure lobby, the number of “boarding bridges” that allow passengers to board the aircraft has been increased from two to three.

The airport facilities are scheduled to be renewed in November, but the prospects for the resumption of Korean flights remain unsettled, and the people concerned are not hiding the disappointing color.

Tottori International Tourism and Visitors Division Assistant Director Tomonori Sera talks as follows.
“Although it is a problem between countries, Tottori Prefecture has a lot of impact on the local economy because it has a lot to rely on Korean tourists in terms of tourism. I want to encourage early resumption of operations.”

In Oita, where international flights disappeared ...

In Oita, where all scheduled flights with South Korea have disappeared, inns and hotels for foreign tourists such as Koreans are particularly affected.

Last month, the number of tourists from Korea who visited Oita Prefecture has dropped to less than one-fifth compared to the same month of the previous year.

For this reason, the number of Korean tourists who have occupied a large number of guests since July has been drastically reduced even at hot spring inns in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, which has had a serious impact on management.

In this ryokan, we had just made new investments such as expanding the new building in March last year, but since the relations between Japan and Korea deteriorated, new reservations from South Korea have hardly been accepted since mid-July. It is said that there is no reservation and there is a day until the inn is closed.

For this reason, about half of the 13 employees are taking time off, and if the impact continues, there is a growing sense of crisis that the inn's management itself could be severely affected.

Shin Hyun Wook, who runs the hot spring inn “Hanamizuki,” says:
“Korean people like hot springs, so they earn money in January and February. If you don't come there then you will be in trouble.

Korea LCC also has a serious impact

South Korea's LCC = low-cost airlines are also having a serious impact.

We are working on this kind of countermeasure to be used by many Japanese.

South Korea's LCC companies also participated in an international tourism event held in Osaka on the 27th of this month and set up a booth.

Some LCCs in Korea sell tickets for Korean flights starting from 1000 yen one way for a limited time. At the venue, the room managing committee members appealed to the visitors.

In another Korean LCC, the winner of the Janken tournament was invited to use it by giving a one-way ticket to Seoul.

Sol Kyung-hee, Osaka branch of the Korea Tourism Organization, which is the Japan Tourism Agency, said:
“Airlines such as the six LCCs in Korea are very difficult to operate. To compensate for the decrease in Korean users by increasing the number of tourists from Japan, the political problems between the two countries have been softened. want to go".

In addition, the Japan Tourism Agency representative talks about the decrease in tourists from Korea.
“In Kyushu and other places, the impact on tourism is becoming clearer. We want to work to increase the number of tourists visiting Japan by resuming promotions with Korean travel agencies while watching the situation.”