KOREA FOUNDATION

COVER STORY

With the COVID-19 pandemic abating, borders are opening up in the ASEAN region, a beloved travel destination of Koreans.
By _Kim Da-yeong(CEO of Hitchhickr, author of The Future of Travel)

With the COVID-19 pandemic abating, borders are opening up in the ASEAN region, a beloved travel destination of Koreans. While some countries still require complicated entry processes, compared to how long it has been difficult to enter them, it is a significant change that ASEAN countries are officially allowing entry for tourism purposes again. If you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you can now enter Lao PDR, the Philippines, Singapore, and VietNam with out having to quarantine or take additional tests. In Cambodia and Indonesia, tourist visas are required. In Thailand, domestic and foreign travelers must obtain a “Thailand Pass”containing their health information at the time of entry, but the country is considering to scrap this system. As a result, ASEAN resorts are becoming popular again as holiday destinations this summer.

With ASEAN countries rebooting their tourism industries, airlines are resuming routes to their most popular destinations. The routes that have recovered the fastest are the ones to Da Nang, Viet Nam, a favorite of Korean travelers. Since May, Jeju Air, T'Way Air, Air Seoul, and Jin Air have all resumed operations on routes from Incheon, Daegu, and Busan to Da Nang. In addition, flights from Incheon Airport to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, NhaTrang in Viet Nam, and Bangkok in Thailand are quickly joining the trend. VietJet, a Vietnamese low-cost carrier, is also reported to reopen nine routes departing from Incheon, including its Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City routes. It is expected that the number of operations will soon be restored to pre-pandemic levels. Airfares are slightly higher compared to before the pandemic, but in the second half of 2022, the supply of air routes is expected to increase and allow prices to settle at a more affordable level.

The contents of all articles may differ from the editorial direction of the ASEAN Culture House Monthly.