Staying in Korea: '09 holiday trend

From: The Korea Herald | Jul. 01, 2009
By: Yoo Soh-jung

This year's summer holiday trend is expected to be staying in Korea, a survey has found.

The phenomenon dubbed as "staycation," a term combining "stay" and "vacation," refers to the propensity of holidaymakers taking a vacation close to home rather than going abroad, particularly because of the economic downturn.

The survey was conducted by SKTelink, a local international call services company, of 1,612 visitors to its home page between June 15 and 26. It found that 37 percent of them either had no holiday plans or just planned to stay at home.

Another 14.3 percent cited plans to go abroad, while 34.2 percent said they planned on taking domestic trips. Another 14.5 percent said they were planning a solo vacation at a local hotel or a spa.

The concept of "staycation" does not mean staying isolated in one's home but involves enjoying outdoor activities, such as taking a walk at a nearby park or going swimming. Other activities could be visiting museums, exhibitions and watching movies. The phenomenon is also evident in the United States.

When asked on the methods of saving on holiday spending, 29.5 percent cited visiting a friend's place or their family home, 26.6 percent cited settling for lower-priced accommodation, and 18.2 percent said shortening the number of vacation days. Another 16.2 percent cited cutting transportation costs, while another 9.5 percent said reducing high-cost travel tours and reducing dining expenses.