The Myeongdong shopping district, which suffered a severe downturn due to COVID-19, has been revitalized by an increase in tourists.
In fact, the number of foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong has been increasing steeply since the pandemic lifted. According to the Seoul Tourism Organization, 4,920 people used the Myeongdong Tourist Information Center in March and April, a 173% increase from the same period last year. Of those, a whopping 4,252 were foreigners, accounting for 86%.
According to station-by-station ridership information released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 1,524,436 people got on and off the train at Myeongdong Station in April, a 78% increase from the same period last year.
Hotels around Myeongdong are reacting to the increase in foreign tourists. A representative from Parnas Hotel said, “The proportion of foreign guests has been gradually increasing since the second half of last year, and then increased in earnest since the beginning of this year,” adding먹튀검증, “We have recovered the pre-corona level.”
Average room occupancy rates at major hotels are hovering around 80 to 90 percent, and the number of foreign guests has risen to nine out of 10.
L7 Myeongdong, Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong, and Four Points by Sheraton Myeongdong all had average occupancy rates above 90 percent in April, and the percentage of foreign guests exceeded 90 percent.
A representative from Le Méridien & Moxy, which recorded an average occupancy rate of 80% last month, explained, “We have a very high percentage of international tourists and business guests,” adding, “We have a lot of visitors from the United States, China, Japan, and Singapore.”