Skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes on the Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 25. Newsis
By Lee Hae-rin
Ski tourism is dropping its fame as a preferred winter sport in Korea because of a lower within the ski inhabitants and the local weather disaster.
In accordance with the Ski Resort Enterprise Affiliation of Korea, solely 12 ski resorts are set to open this winter season.
Meaning 5 ski resorts have shut down in comparison with 2009 and greater than half have closed inside the previous three years.
The first purpose behind the suspension of ski resort operations is the lower within the variety of guests.
Ski resort business insiders say that the variety of ski resort visitors, which largely include younger folks, is lowering because of the low birthrate and an ageing inhabitants.
The variety of guests to home ski resorts elevated steadily to over 3 million for the primary time within the 1999-2000 season when the tally started. Snowboarding and snowboarding grew right into a very talked-about winter pastime right here, surpassing 6.8 million customers within the 2011-2012 season.
Since 1975 when the nation noticed its first ski resort opening with Yongpyong Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, 17 ski resorts nationwide have opened and loved a increase.
Nonetheless, after the height in 2011, the quantity began declining and plummeted to 1.4 million within the 2020-2021 season, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the quantity recovered to about 3.8 million within the 2021-22 season, that is solely half of what it was a decade in the past, far behind its previous fame.
One other key issue behind ski tourism’s lack of momentum is the continuing local weather disaster and consequent rise within the winter temperatures.
“Korean ski resorts rely 90 p.c on synthetic snow, and the machines could make synthetic snow when the temperature drops beneath minus 3 levels Celsius. Because the climate will get hotter, ski season is being delayed and shortened, inflicting profitability to deteriorate,” an business insider stated.
Seen is an deserted ski resort in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, lined in grass and bushes, Nov. 1, 2023. Korea Occasions photograph by Lee Han-ho
Star Hill Resort in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, closed down in 2021 citing a “lower within the ski inhabitants and a lower in winter enterprise days because of world warming” upon its closure.
As a result of rising winter temperature, the variety of working days for ski resorts can also be lowering. The temperatures from December to January within the winter of 2019-20 had been 2.2 levels greater than standard.
In consequence, resorts have been going through administration difficulties and beginning to shorten working intervals because of the issue of slope administration and a pointy enhance in administration prices.
Moreover, as security emerged as a key situation after a number of large social disasters, colleges have tapered off ski camps whereas many younger folks go for different leisure actions, reminiscent of on-line video games and tenting.
In the meantime, because the ski resorts put together for the upcoming winter season, the winter sports activities business urges the sports activities authorities and municipalities to help them to beat the disaster.
Yongpyong Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, prepares for opening by making synthetic snow with snowmaking machines because the morning lows dropped to minus 3 levels Celsius, Wednesday. The resort is about to open on Nov. 22. Yonhap
For example, China created an bold plan to develop its winter sports activities tourism and increase the winter sports activities participation base to 300 million with at the very least 800 ski resorts with a projected worth of $211 billion by 2030.
The plan contains monetary help, rising credit score entry for winter sports activities firms and cultivating main winter sports activities manufacturers whereas supporting smaller enterprises.
“The ski resort has a far-reaching affect on job creation and financial revitalization in mountainous areas,” an official from the affiliation stated. “The federal government and native municipalities ought to begin fostering and defending ski resorts.”
