More than 173,000 tourists are expected to visit Jeju Island during the four-day Buddha's Birthday holiday, intensifying competition for flights to the southern resort island. While the number of flights has slightly increased, the actual seat supply has declined, raising concerns over a seat shortage.
According to the Jeju Tourism Association on Wednesday, a total of 173,000 tourists are expected to visit Jeju by air and sea from the 22nd through the 25th. The figure represents a 5.8% increase from 163,520 visitors during the same Buddha's Birthday holiday period last year.
By date, expected arrivals are 46,000 on the 22nd, 48,000 on the 23rd, 40,000 on the 24th, and 39,000 on the 25th. Domestic arriving flights total 879, up from last year, but the supply of seats stands at 163,956, slightly down from a year earlier. The Jeju Tourism Association projected that the average load factor for domestic flights during the holiday will reach 91%.
International flights also increased. International flights totaled 132, up 20% from last year, while seat supply rose 18.7% to 24,152 seats. In addition, five cruise ships carrying 10,500 passengers are scheduled to call at Jeju during the holiday.
Variables remain, however. The association noted that during the same period last year, 13 domestic flights and three vessels were canceled due to bad weather, adding that actual arrivals may vary depending on weather conditions and same-day bookings.
Meanwhile, the Jeju tourism industry has recently mounted a collective response, calling for a solution to the airline seat shortage. The industry argues that the supply shortage has worsened since some Jeju route slots were reallocated to low-cost carriers (LCCs) following the corporate merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
The Jeju Tourism Association said it is currently running an online and offline signature campaign aimed at "resolving the Jeju airline seat shortage and improving accessibility." The association explained that, unlike legacy carriers that mainly operated large aircraft, LCCs primarily fly smaller jets with relatively fewer seats, leading to a decline in actual supply capacity.
Based on this year's summer schedule, the number of flights arriving at Jeju is little changed from last year, but the average daily seat supply has decreased by more than 1,000 seats. As a result, load factors on major routes have reached 90% or higher — effectively full.
"A structural problem is emerging in which Jeju route capacity is actually weakening during the airline slot reorganization process," said Kang Dong-hoon, president of the Jeju Tourism Association. "A policy shift is needed to secure stable airline seat supply."
