Koreans less satisfied with domestic travel than overseas, citing high prices
The Federation of Korean Industries on Tuesday announced the results of a survey it conducted on consumer satisfaction with domestic and overseas travel, which showed that local tourism received an average score of 8.3 out of 10. This was lower than the 8.7 points given to trips outside of the country.
The survey was conducted on 1,000 adults who had travelled domestically and overseas in the past three years.
When asked why they were not satisfied with domestic tourism, 45.1 percent blamed "high prices at tourist spots," while 19.4 percent cited a "lack of unique regional tourist attractions."
The respondents were asked to evaluate domestic and overseas tourism in each of 11 categories -- accessibility, amenities, food, accommodations, historic and cultural resources, tourism programs to experience, regional festivals and other events, recreational facilities, sports and leisure activities, shopping and scenery.
Domestic travel had an edge only in the three convenience-related categories -- accessibility, amenities and food -- while overseas travel was preferred in all of the other categories.
While people were generally less satisfied with domestic trips, 39 percent of respondents said they are open to taking them, which was slightly higher than the 38.4 percent open to an overseas trip. This was largely due to domestic trips costing less time and money, requiring less preparation, and not presenting a language barrier.
More people were planning to take trips this year within the country than abroad -- 87.6 percent versus 60.4 percent. But people spent almost four times as much on overseas trips than domestic trips -- 1.98 million won ($1,428) compared to 543,000 won.
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