The rate at which gambling volume by Japanese and Chinese tourists has been recovering at a number of South Korea’s foreigner-only casino resorts, does not necessarily positively correlate with the recovery rate for air travel between those places and South Korea, suggest second-quarter data confirmed to GGRAsia by several operators.
Nonetheless, the South Korean government’s air travel data cover the first five months of the year, missing out June, and therefore preventing a complete and direct comparison. The foreign-customer data supplied to GGRAsia by two key operators is for the whole of the second quarter.
In terms of some of the main markets for inbound tourism to South Korea, air traveller volume for Japan-South Korea journeys has ramped up at a higher rate in the first five months of 2023, compared to mainland China-South Korea, and Hong Kong-South Korea air travel.
According to a recent statement by South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of air passengers between mainland China and South Korea from January to May this year was just over 1.20 million. That was a recovery rate of only 16.7 percent, from the just over 7.18 million air passengers in the pre-pandemic trading period of January to May 2019.
The recovery rate for air travel via Hong Kong was 35.3 percent; and 7.3 percent via Macau.
For Japan, the January to May volume of visitors to South Korea was 74.0 percent of pre-pandemic; 72.6 percent via the Philippines; 139.4 percent via Singapore; 60.6 percent from Taiwan; 84.0 percent via Thailand; and 83.5 percent via Vietnam, respectively.
According to a data release from Grand Korea Leisure Co Ltd (GKL), an operator of three foreigner-only casino venues, two in Seoul and one in Busan, the tally of Chinese nationals visiting its venues in the second quarter this year, was 79,281, compared to 255,101 in the second quarter 2019. That was a 31.1 percent recovery rate.
In comparison, the number of Japanese citizens to GKL venues in the same period of 2023 stood at 44,877, compared to 85,186 in second-quarter 2019, a recovery rate of 52.7 percent.
But Chinese VIP customers’ contribution to GKL’s drop volume in the second quarter 2023 was KRW159.06 billion (US$125.6 million), via 11,272 such customers. That compared to the second quarter 2019’s KRW257.38 billion, delivered via 15,032 customers. The 2023 recovery rate for Chinese VIP drop volume relative to 2019 was 61.8 percent, and for Chinese VIP players 75.0 percent.
Japanese VIP players’ drop volume at GKL venues in the second quarter of 2023 was KRW236.14 billion, via 9,265 customers. The same quarter of 2019 was KRW274.89 billion, via 11,810 customers, representing recovery rates of 85.9 percent and 78.5 percent, respectively.
Paradise Co Ltd has two casino venues in the Greater Seoul area; plus one in Busan and one in Jeju.
It confirmed to GGRAsia, that its Chinese-VIP drop volume at its venues in the second quarter 2023 was KRW199.31 billion, via 5,600 players. That compared to second quarter 2019’s KRW474.40 billion, via 11,335 players. The 2023 recovery rate was 42.0 percent, and 49.4 percent, respectively.
However, Paradise Co’s Japanese-VIP drop volume in second quarter this year was KRW657.91 billion, via 17,982 players. Second-quarter 2019’s was KRW637.58 billion, via 22,323 players. The 2023 recovery rate was 103.2 percent, and 80.6 percent, respectively.
