The PyeongChang Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday in South Korea, but the fears of Norovirus outbreak and high cost of hotels is putting countries off from participating at the PyeongChang games.
The Americans athletes are set to boycott the event, sitting; high travel costs, shortage of hotel rooms and tensions with North Korea.
“Our travel sales to this Olympics have been very light,” said Anbritt Stengele, founder of specialist travel company Sports Traveler.
PyeongChang, with a population of 44,000 is not a model tourist destination. It’s a two-hour train journey from the South Korean capital, Seoul.
Stengele had hoped that clients would be able to stay in Seoul and commute to the Olympics. But then she factored in the time required for trains, event lines and security.
“We decided not to recommend this option to our guests,” she said.
Flights bookings from the United States to South Korea in February were up 24% compared to the previous year, according to data from travel intelligence firm ForwardKeys. But that is a small bump for such a big event.
“You would expect triple-digit growth,” said David Tarsh, a spokesman for ForwardKeys.
China and Japan have run the most searches for flights to South Korea, according to data from the travel app Hopper.
Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo were the cities with the highest search volume for Olympic travel.
Only two U.S. cities made the top 10: Los Angeles (6th) and New York (9th). The average price for round-trip flights from these cities was $800 to $930.
About 1,200 people working security at the PyeongChang Olympics are being kept in their rooms for Norovirus test.
Lee Hee-beom, chairman of the PyeongChang Olympics organizing committee, said they would be isolated until they are declared well.
PyeongChang’s Olympic organizing committee on Monday said officials have started investigating the Norovirus outbreak after 41 security guards suffered diarrhea and vomiting.
Officials are examining food and water sources at a mountainside facility in PyeongChang where the guards had been staying and also inspecting 18 other facilities that rely on groundwater.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) on Tuesday said is making all efforts to contain the spread of the deadly Norovirus.
The move comes after 41 security guards suffering diarrhea and vomiting tested positive for the virus.
“They are really making the ultimate possible effort to make sure that everybody is aware of measures against the virus, and where there are cases, that the right measures are taken,” said Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games executive director for the IOC.
Dubi noted how the PyeongChang Organising Committee was taking a no-risk by-the-books approach when it came to the health matters that could possibly affect the Games.
“If any more is identified, then the area gets disinfected,” said Dubi.
Dubi also tried to assuage concerns over the possibility of an outbreak within the athletes’ village.
“We don’t know exactly what the source was, but when it comes to the food and beverage the whole chain of securing the quality of food, they are definitely respecting all international standards.’’
Dubi also said leaflets highlighting the dangers of the norovirus and how to protect oneself from infection will be distributed to the general population within the Olympic venues.
Norovirus is a contagious virus that causes stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea. The most effective way to stop the spread is to practice good hand-washing and personal hygiene.
Also, Global flight bookings to South Korea in February were up about 15% compared to last year, according to ForwardKeys. But that’s not as much as you’d expect for a major sporting event.
A long-running feud between China and South Korea over the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system has hurt Chinese tourism in South Korea.
“The real origin market that matters for [South] Korea is China,” said Tarsh. “The market from China has completely collapsed.”
The countries with the biggest surge in interest include Vietnam, the Philippines and Canada.
Bookings from Vietnam have surged more than 550% over the previous year, according to ForwardKeys. A South Korean visa waiver program contributed to this boost, said Tarsh.
Anthony Nlebem
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