More golfers are heading to courses over the Chuseok holiday. Bookings rose at double-digit rates not only in the greater Seoul area but also at courses in the Gyeongsang, Jeolla and Gangwon State regions, a sign that demand for holiday rounds is spreading nationwide.
Golf booking platform XGOLF compared regional booking data for the Chuseok holiday periods of last year and this year and found that total bookings rose 10.2% from a year earlier.
By region, the Gyeongsang area posted the largest increase at 15.4%, followed by Jeolla at 13.3%, Gangwon State at 12.5% and Gyeonggi at 11.9%. Notably, growth in the Gyeongsang, Jeolla and Gangwon State regions outpaced that of Gyeonggi, the greater Seoul area province that accounts for a relatively large share of overall bookings. The Chungcheong region, by contrast, saw bookings fall 2.2% from a year earlier, the only major region to decline.
The use of the holiday as an opportunity to play a round also appears to have lifted demand outside the capital area. Longer holidays, compared with ordinary weekends, prompt golfers to travel beyond the areas near Seoul to regions such as Gangwon State, Gyeongsang and Jeolla to combine a round with a trip.
"Rather than using the holiday only for rest, golfers appear to be planning rounds and travel together, and that seems to have contributed to the rise in bookings by region," an XGOLF official said. "XGOLF plans to continue strengthening its services so that golfers can conveniently choose courses that suit their region and schedule."
