People originally thought that the world would recover form COVID-19 after a short period of time. However it was prolonged and the travel industry was hit the hardest. As the importance of leisure increased, the tourism and lodging industry was booming, but now they are facing a dire situation due to COVID-19. The demand is down to one-tenth of the original level. Moreover, it shows that domestic tourism which increased with the catchphrase ‘Staycation at a hotel’ has decreased by more than half. It caused a cancelling of scheduled hiring notices and a reduction in the number of people recruited in most corporations. In addition to this, the introduction of the system of forcing existing employees to retire for honor and take unpaid leave has even caused a harsh wind of employee reduction. This reality makes university students who have dreamed to enter the field of tourism feel frustrated. To hear a more sincere story we interviewed one student who is majoring in hotel management.

Q1. Please introduce yourself.

 Hello I am Kim You-Jung, majoring in hotel management at Kyonggi University. I have dreamed for a long time to become a planner who helps people build precious memories. I hope this interview is a chance to share my opinion on the tourism area and look back on my thoughts and mindset.

Q2. Do you know about any cases related to tourism that changed due to COVID-19?

 Last semester I wrote a report on examples of new marketing which emerged after the corona pandemic. It was the first time when I could find the dark sides that the tourism business is now facing due to COVID-19. One of the most memorable things is that the CEO of Airbnb, the world’s largest lodging sharing service, expressed the corona pandemic situation as “a building built for 12 years feels like it’s collapsing in 4 weeks.” You Quiz on the Block, a famous TV show,

recently covered the story of former flight attendant Ryu Seung-yeon, who was fired a year after joining the airline due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19. Also in Korea, where the spread is relatively small, many tourism companies are reeling and many tourism workers are losing their jobs, and I cannot imagine what the impact of the downturn in the tourism industry is like around the world.

Q3. How do you feel about the situation of tourism that experiencing lots of change due to COVID-19?

 Due to the sudden onset of COVID-19, lots of industries are still suffering stagnation and the service industry is no different. The reason why lodging and travel industry have been so badly affected is that they are so sensitive to external environment and especially have a high dependence on foreign tourists. Corona is an epidemic that frightens people all over the world. Most countries have conducted active regulations on entry and exit limits to prevent exponential spreading. Accordingly, the trend of social distancing has developed around the world. Eventually the consumer demand for hotels and travel products decreased. Besides, early last year, when the spread of COVID-19 became serious, some of the nation’s major travel agencies said, “This year’s business is virtually over and we will not be able to sell overseas travel products by the end of the year.” At the same time we could easily find news about the restructuring of most travel companies. Service corporations which have big fix costs had no choice without this to survive in this tough circumstance. Most service companies must have chosen that way to survive because of their high fixed cost. I think it was a really bitter reality to them. I was even surprised that the degree COVID-19 affected the tourism industry is very high compared to the past SARS and MERS outbreaks. In fact, according to the tourist-style information system operated by the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute on September 8, domestic tourism revenue reached $1.19 billion in the second quarter of last year, the smallest in 17 years since the second quarter of 2003. Most experts expect that until the declaration of the end of COVID-19, the reality of the tourism business, which shows no signs of growth, is very dark.

Q4. These days many students majoring in tourism have deep concerns about this issue. Do you sympathize with them?

 I feel the same way. Both my friends and I have been filled with a lot of worries recently. Although the recession in the tourism industry that emerged due to the corona pandemic does not coincide with my graduation, it was not easy to stay calm in the situation where I realized the dark sides of the industry since COVID-19 appeared. The idea of a Though the concept of a lifetime workplace is disappearing, concerns continued to come to my mind, such as “What if the new epidemic repeats itself after I get a job?” or “What if I would be dismissed overnight even though I’ve been struggling to get a job for more than a decade” Because nobody knows when some new epidemic might come into our lives and threaten the tourism business even if COVID-19 is ended.

Q5. Do you still have a desire to get a job related to your major in this situation?

 Of course, it is a fact that I have had lots of concerns and still now I have big anxieties. On the other hand, for the moment those worries could not make me give up my hope and dream completely to be a planner who makes a tourist product which can be a good memory to someone. Apart from the current situation of the fluctuating tourism industry, I would like to continue to keep and develop my dream. Additionally there’s no industry that has no risk factors. Therefore I think it is better just to concentrate on my goal and dream than be consumed with risk factors. Finally I can make sure if I keep a clam mind, the tourism business will find its place fast after the COVID-19 ends.

Q6. What do you think about the future prospects of the tourism industry?

 The aftermath of COVID-19 will last until most of the population can get vaccinated and the end of COVID-19 has been declared on a global level. Yet lots of workers in tourism are doing their best out of sight to overcome the crisis caused by COVID-19. Furthermore I think for modern people, the meaning of travel and leisure is considerable and people are more looking forward to go travel after the limitation on sightseeing due to the corona pandemic. Therefore when the safety of tourists can be secured, even if it takes a while to happen, we will overcome this step by step and I believe vitality will come to the tourism sector again.

Q7. Could you tell me your resolution to prepare for your future?

 No one can give a definition on the future that has not come yet. Our future depends on the present that we can develop. I hope that many young people, including myself, who are dreaming about tourism, and those who are working hard in tourism, will be able to regain the bright future of the tourism industry as soon as possible by cooperating with each other.

 The tourism business is being hit hardest. However the prospect of this industry is not necessarily dark. The analysis by several experts shows that potential demand is always present because people still have a desire to travel. It means that customers’ demand for tourism will increase significantly whenever the corona pandemic ends. Pharos understands that students who are studying tourism or dreaming about it feel so frustrated right now. Pharos sincerely hopes they take a step toward their dream in hopes that tourism will be the industry which bounces back the most after COVID-19 ends.

75th Cub Reporter• HAN SONG HEE• shhan0509@hanmail.net

75th Cub Reporter• CHOI HYUN JEONG• chj010627@naver.com