Seoul is seeking more mid-range priced accommodation to counter the glut of overpriced and low-cost rooms, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported Monday.
According to the government report, the 23,164 mid-range rooms located in Seoul -- priced between 60,000 won and 200,000 won -- failed to cover the 32,567 requests this year.
 |
A photo of Shilla Stay in central Seoul (Yonhap) |
In contrast, an extra 3,017 rooms priced over 200,000 won were still available. Hotels cheaper than 60,000 won per night had 5,714 more empty rooms to accommodate tourists.
The report said that such an imbalance has been causing inconveniences, calling for an increase in the number of mid-range priced rooms. It pointed out that visitors who fail to get mid-priced rooms, or can’t afford costly hotels in Seoul, choose instead to stay in suburb areas, resulting in long hours spent in transit. If they choose to stay central, they reluctantly stay at cheap, underserviced places that may leave a negative impression of the city, the report said.
If the status quo continues, Seoul may face setbacks in accommodating the target of 23 million visitors by 2020, the report added.
“The ministry will soon map out a plan to ease the imbalance in Seoul’s accommodation situation, so as to welcome more tourists to enjoy time here,” it said.
By Song Ji-won (
jiwon.song@heraldcorp.com)
