The busy neighborhoods in Seoul, which were once a nightlife spot for young Koreans and foreign tourists, are now quiet, and restaurants are operating in moderation because of the pandemic.
Coming to Itaewon in the last days of May, it is clear that the damage this place is suffering because of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Korean Herald.
Almost no restaurant is full, many employees stand at the door, trying to invite passersby. In the evening, only very few bars have guests to relax. “We maintain operations in the hope that some miracle will happen, for example, seeing a long line of customers waiting to open. Before the pandemic, there were always foreigners coming to my restaurant to eat burgers, everyone people still have to wait in line. Now it’s not like that anymore, every day, as long as there are about 20 customers, I feel lucky,” said a shop owner. Itaewon neighborhood is empty of tourists because of the epidemic. Photo: Korea Herald. A similar situation occurs in Myeong-dong, a popular destination for people who love to shop, eat, and have fun. Most of the restaurants operate moderately with a small number of customers. Because of their reliance on foreign tourists, the streets of Seoul are going through an unprecedentedly difficult time. The pandemic has limited international travel for many months, and the source of visitors from locals has also decreased a lot because of social distancing and blockade rules. The Seoul Metropolitan Government predicts that the number of foreign tourists has decreased by 86%, from 13.9 million in 2019 to just 1.92 million in 2020. “These neighborhoods popular with foreigners have been hit very hard. We get a lot of phone calls asking for help from people doing business here,” said an official from the tourism department of the city government. The famous entertainment areas in Seoul rely heavily on foreign tourists. Photo: Seoulpubcrawl. More than a year after the pandemic broke out, the rate of vacant real estate in busy neighborhoods also skyrocketed because many businesses went bankrupt. According to the Korea Real Estate Commission, more than a third of the total store space in Myeong-dong is vacant, or 38.4%. This rate stands at 22.6% in Itaewon and 13.1% in Hongdae. Experts say that unless the pandemic ends, this trend is sure to continue. In an effort to revitalize these areas, starting in May, the Seoul city government offers coupons and gift cards for a number of special tourist attractions, including Itaewon and Myeong-dong. A city government official in the tourism policy department said Seoul is also preparing many support measures to attract more local tourists to these entertainment districts. At Itaewon, some signs of positive change gradually appeared. According to shop owners, although business is not as good as before, the number of visitors seems to have increased as they turn to attracting locals. “Things are starting to get better compared to the same period last year. Hope to see Itaewon bounce back to its glory years,” said Maeng Ki-hoon, head of the merchants association in Itaewon.
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