Jeju Sees Drop in Domestic Tourism as Crime Fears Sweep the Island
I wonder what is causing a rise in crime on Jeju? 🤔
The concentration of cases, and the local police’s failures surrounding some of them, has unsettled residents and visitors alike.
“Many people come to Jeju to stay for several months at a time. I’ve heard that some tenants are canceling their leases following the recent incidents.” a Jeju resident surnamed Cho, who runs a short-term rental business, wrote on Instagram. (…….)
Tourism businesses in Jeju are particularly on edge as the island is already grappling with a decline in domestic visitors.
According to the Jeju Tourism Organization, 963,401 domestic travelers visited the island in July, down 12.4 percent, or 136,620, from 1,100,021 a year earlier. It marked the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 that Jeju’s monthly domestic visitor count fell below 1 million.
The downward trend continued into August. From Aug. 1-23, Jeju received an average of 35,295 domestic visitors per day, about 300 fewer than the 35,575 recorded during the same period last year.
According to data from the Korean National Police Agency, the island recorded the country’s highest crime rate in 2024, at 4,539.6 crimes per 100,000 people. The rate is calculated based on Jeju’s resident population of around 663,000, while the island receives millions of visitors each year.
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