Hong Kong travel agencies adjust tour plans amid Korean protests

Hong Kong travel agencies have adjusted their itineraries for trips to Korea in response to recent protests, with one noting inquiries and registrations had dropped by up to 30 percent recently.

Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of EGL Tours, said on Monday that while the political uncertainty had not had a substantial impact on the tours his company organized, changes to the schedules had been made.

"We skip some places that we used to visit if protests have broken out," he said, referring to areas in Seoul near the Office of the President in Yongsan district and the Sungnyemun Gate in Jung district, where demonstrators had previously gathered and held rallies.

"Customers all understood the changes to the itineraries and we so far have not received any complaints from them," Huen said, adding that two of his company's tour groups had just come back to Hong Kong.

Tour groups to the country planned for the rest of the month would depart as usual, he said.

Korea has been in political turmoil since early December, when the now-suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol decreed martial law, only to reverse the decision six hours later. He was later impeached and prosecutors tried to arrest him last week, only to be rebuffed by his security forces.

On Saturday and Sunday, thousands of protesters, both for and against Yoon, gathered in front of his residence and along major roads in Seoul, calling for the impeachment to be declared invalid or demanding his arrest. The arrest warrant expired on Monday.

The Chinese embassy in Seoul has reminded its nationals in the country to stay away from protests, noting that Korea's immigration law banned foreigners from taking part in local political activities.

"[You should] keep your distance from local political rallies and crowded places. Do not make public political speeches, pay attention to traffic control caused by rallies, and ensure personal and travel safety," the notice said.

Yuen Chun-ning, chief executive officer of WWPKG travel agency, said his company had organized trips to the country every day of this week, and they would depart as scheduled.

"So far there has not been any impact on the tours. But the political incidents have certainly curbed desire to travel there," he said.

Yuen said that in recent days, customer inquiries and registrations for trips had dropped by 20 to 30 percent compared with before the political turmoil.

Freddy Yip Hing-ning, managing director of Goldjoy Travel, said Korea remained one of the most popular destinations for Hongkongers.

Data from Yanolja, Korea's top travel and accommodation booking platform operator, showed that Hong Kong ranked fifth in terms of sources of tourists, with more than 250,000 visiting the country in the first half of 2024.

More than one million residents visited annually before the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020.

The Korea Tourism Organization earlier sought to reassure visitors that daily life in the country remained the same and tourist sites were operating normally.

"The government continues to prioritize the safety and convenience of travelers to Korea," it said.

The Immigration Department said it had not received any requests for help from city residents in Korea.

"The Immigration Department will continue to stay in touch with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong and the Chinese embassy in Korea, closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds," a spokesman said.

The Security Bureau said no alert under the Outbound Travel Alert system had been issued for the country so far.

The bureau updated its travel reminder for the country on December 4, in which they asked residents to "monitor the situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety, avoid large gatherings of people and pay attention to local announcements on the latest situation."

Read the full story at SCMP.