With D-day inching ever closer, all those involved in preparations to host the winter
games... is working overtime to ensure the success of Korea's first Olympics in 3 decades.
A number of problems that still linger though.
Prices of accomodations and concerns over low ticket sales for starters.
Lee Ji-won updates us on these fronts and what's being done to resolve these issues.
(Standup) "There are now just over 60 days left until
the start of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics,… but despite all the efforts of the organizing
committee and the host cities... there are still some problems that need to be addressed."
Accommodation is an issue that's been brought up numerous times, as it's critical for successfully
hosting the 2018 Winter Games.
Many hotels, pensions and motels set their prices for the Olympic season at more than
double, and in some cases even quadruple, what is normally charged on an average day.
For instance, staying overnight at this pension near the PyeongChang mountain cluster, where
most of the snow events are held,... usually costs 129-thousand Korean won, or 118 U.S.
dollars.
But during the Olympic season, it's over three times that.
While it's not unusual for prices to go up around such a major global event, the absurdly
high prices have angered many for trying to rip-off visitors.
And the host province of Gangwon-do has laid out a number of measures to try to solve this
issue.
(Kor) "We are talking with accommodation providers
and persuading them to set their prices at a reasonable level.
And we've seen many of them lower their prices by more than half.
We've also set up a hotline-center that matches visitors to accommodation depending on the
price, distance and services needed."
The local government has also set up a task force to monitor price rip-offs and accommodation
that has higher rates for foreign visitors.
While there is no law stopping hotels and guest-houses from charging such prices,...
the team is pressuring such accommodation providers through tax audits and sanitation
inspections.
And to further help foreign visitors with their stay in Korea, lawmakers have also temporarily
amended the special tax treatment control law for a year.
Starting January 1st 2018,... any foreigner who stays over at Korea's tourist hotels for
under 30 days,... can reclaim the value-added tax.
(Kor) "We made the amendment in the hope of encouraging
more tourists to come to Korea next year, especially during the Olympics season.
And it's not such a loss for Korea either, as studies show that the tax returned is usually
spent in the country before the visitors leave."
Another problem is the low ticket sales.
While tickets have been on sale since February,... numerous issues, including political turmoil
and North Korea's continuous provocations,... have meant ticket sales have been very slow,
with only 212-thousand out of the target of 1-million tickets sold by September.
While the low ticket sales was a major concern,... with the games getting closer, ticket sales
have started to pick up.
(Kor) "The Olympic torch relay, K-pop concerts and
even President Moon's promotional video helped bring people's attention to the Winter Games.
And Koreans tend to buy tickets closer to the start of the games,... as seen with previous
global sporting events.
And so as of December 4th, a total of 580-thousand tickets have been sold.
That's 54-percent of the total target."
The number is in fact higher than ticket sales for the 2014 Sochi Games were at this point,...
where sales stood at 55-percent at the end of December.
And to continue promoting ticket sales, especially for less popular sports,... the organizing
committee plans to create videos that show interesting watch points for the games,...
on top of continuing cultural activities to build up the Olympic atmosphere.
Government ministries are also joining the effort,... including the Ministry of Justice,...
which, for the first time, is allowing Chinese visitors to come to Korea without a visa from
December 1st until March 31st of next year.
(English) "Chinese nationals are eligible for the temporary
visa waiver program if they have been issued a Korean visa in the last 5 years without
any immigration violations, or hold Olympic game tickets through designated travel agencies,
or have an ordinary passport for public affairs.
They can then come to Korea without a visa for 15 days."
With such joint efforts across the country,... Korea takes another step toward hosting a
successful 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
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