Da Nang and Phu Quoc have recorded a sharp decrease in the number of Korean tourists despite being in the "season" due to the "fear of flying" mentality after the Jeju Air aviation disaster that killed 179 people.
According to tourism service businesses, the season for Korean tourists to Vietnam lasts from December to April, but the number of visitors has decreased after the Jeju Air accident on December 29.
Thanh Bach Tourist Transport Company, based in Phu Quoc, which specializes in serving Korean tourists, said that before the accident, their fleet of vehicles always had to run at full capacity, but now the number of tourists has decreased by 30%. About 30% of contracts with Korean tourist groups have also been canceled, lasting until March. A company representative said that Korean tourists are "afraid to fly" after the aviation disaster that killed 179 people.
Sailing Club Leisure Group’s sales and marketing director Tran The Hai also recorded a 10% drop in room cancellations after the accident. New bookings dropped 30% from the 100 rooms per night before the accident.
"The worst flight cancellations were about two weeks after the accident," Hai said, adding that the situation is currently positive but it will take time to get back on track.
A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people crashed while landing at Muan Airport in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The plane's landing gear failed to open and the plane landed on its belly, skidding across the runway before crashing into a concrete wall at the edge of the airport and exploding. Only two flight attendants sitting in the back of the plane survived.
Statistics from Agoda on December 18 showed that South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and the US are the five markets where tourists choose Vietnam the most during the New Year. The favorite destinations of Korean tourists are Nha Trang, Da Nang and Phu Quoc, respectively.
Members of the Khanh Hoa Province Tourism Association, which specializes in welcoming Korean tourists, recorded a 30-40% decrease in the number of Korean tourists, mainly due to the closure of Muan Airport. Permanent Vice President Pham Minh Nhat said the aviation incident and political issues in Korea affected tourists' psychology.
A 4-star hotel owner in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang, also said that 80 nights, equivalent to 50-60 guests, were canceled between December 30 and January 10. The cancellations were so close to the date that the hotel had almost no chance of filling the empty rooms. However, they accepted the support because they had long-term business partners and Korean guests accounted for 30% of international guests staying at the facility.
"We suffered almost all the damage," said the hotel owner.
Just one day after the accident, Jeju Air recorded about 68,000 canceled tickets. Korean travel agencies also simultaneously removed all online advertising, canceled sales on home shopping channels, and focused on handling flight and tour cancellation requests.
According to the portal Nate News, The incident has also raised concerns among consumers in the country about using low-cost airline products. About 101 Boeing 737-800s, the type of aircraft involved in the crash, are in operation in South Korea, most of them operated by low-cost carriers, including 39 operated by Jeju Air. Most winter travel packages to popular destinations such as Southeast Asia and Japan using low-cost carriers have seen cancellations due to concerns among customers.
Aram Jeong, who lives in Seoul, said she would not travel for a while to get her mind right after hearing about the Jeju Air crash. She has traveled to Vietnam about 10 times, mostly on low-cost airlines.
"I think I've been lucky and don't want to fly with low-cost airlines anymore," she said.
In contrast to Aram Jeong, Choi - who lives in Seoul - does not think the Jeju Air crash will make Koreans afraid to travel abroad or refuse to use low-cost airlines.
The National Transportation Safety Board's 2020 Survivability Report found that 1.3% of people died in commercial airline crashes between 2001 and 2017. That's down from 4.7% between 1983 and 2000. Airplanes remain the safest mode of transportation thanks to safety regulations and design improvements.
According to many units specializing in Korean inbound tourists to Phu Quoc, Vietnam ranks second only to Japan in the top most favorite foreign tourist destinations because of its friendliness, good service and affordable prices. After the boom in the Central region, visitors tend to move south, specifically to Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc in 2025 and 2026. Therefore, tourism businesses expect the number of Korean visitors to recover soon from February when tourist sentiment is more stable.
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