Safety issues spooking South Korea tourists

MANILA, Philippines — Fewer South Korean tourists are visiting the Philippines this year due to factors beyond the government’s control, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Low visitor arrivals from South Korea could be due to “low demand of outbound travel in South Korea because of so many factors,” Erwin Balane, DOT tourism attaché in South Korea, told The STAR yesterday.

About 468,337 South Korean travelers visited the Philippines from January to April, which is 18.03 percent lower than the same period last year.

The South Korean embassy in Manila earlier urged the government to strengthen protections for South Korean visitors amid reports of crimes targeting them.

Balane cited political and public safety issues, such as the kidnapping of foreigners in Batangas in May that made headlines in South Korea, as well as the three-hour martial law imposed by former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol in December last year.

Figures indicated that demand for outbound travel to the Philippines went down by 36.87 percent in the first quarter, he noted.