COVID 2019 border closings: Are Korean tourists next?

Are Korean next? Closing international borders
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Coronavirus is becoming a global scare. Korean visitors are no longer allowed to visit Israel at this time. Before the last weekend on Thursday, the Republic of Korea registered 156 Coronavirus cases. On Sunday night this number went up to 833 with 8 people death.

The virus spread from an isolated area in Korea to the second largest city of Busan. Busan is a center for exhibitions and inbound tourism.

Koreans love to travel and their airline carriers Korean Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, and Jin Air connect Korea with the rest of the world.

SouthKorea has invested heavily in bringing in more than 16 million foreign visitors to their country.

More than 26 million South Koreans travel internationally. Favorite holiday destinations include Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Guam, and Hawaii.

Stopping the arrival of Korean tourists could put a major dent into inbound tourism for many regions. Hawaii, for example, is already suffering after all Chinese tourists are no longer allowed to visit the Aloha State. After Japanese and Canadians Korean visitors are the most important inbound market for the Aloha State.

Koreans are well-liked visitors, but with Coronavirus numbers rapidly spreading and an incubation time of possibly one month it may be irresponsible for authorities in the United States or elsewhere to allow Korean visitors to enter their country.

A coronavirus outbreak in Hawaii would not only spread easily but destroy the most important industry everyone is depending on, travel and tourism.

Decisions have to be made immediately, and there is no time for favoritism when it comes to fighting this deadly parademic

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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