This article appeard in the Korea Herald. Looks like an another half-baked idea.
The Ministry of Finance and Economy said that it will implement measures to promote the construction of golf courses and develop the country’s maritime leisure industry in an effort to redirect outbound tourists to local destinations and cut service deficits. Last year, the country recorded $18.8 billion in service deficits, $12.9 billion of which was accounted for by overseas tourism.
The line of thought for this plan is;
Under current regulations, a 30 percent tax is placed on farmlands that are converted to other uses. Golf course operators are required to provide facilities such as showers and golf carts.
The government said that these regulations, coupled with the inability of the country’s 251 golf courses to accommodate sufficient numbers of golfers, are responsible for local green fees being much higher than in other countries.
More courses will facilitate a drop in green fees and keep local golfers in the country, stemming the rise of overseas golf trip related costs, the Finance Ministry said. The ministry added that $1.28 billion was spent last year on overseas golf trips, almost double the $650 million seen in 2003.
In addition the plan to increase maritime leisure facilities are as follows;
Plans for developing the country’s maritime leisure industry include easing of regulations concerning the use of local harbors by foreign cruise ships and reinforcing safety-related measures.
The government is also considering easing regulations to allow local cruise operators to hire more foreign seamen, allowing cruise tourists to transit in Korea without visas, and building five harbors reserved for cruise ships.
Personally, I don’t think making more golf courses will decrease the number of Koreans going abroad. Because as the above article states out of $12 billion spent overseas only $1.2 billion was spent on overseas golf trips. Also what benefit would there be for building five harbors for cruise ships, when foreign cruise ships rarely visit Korean ports in addition to the fact that Korea ain’t a popular cruise destination. So, if this plan is implemented, all this will result in taxpayer money going down the drain, plus a countryside dotted with golf courses.
If the South Korean government wants to increase domestic tourism, they could start by providing accurate and up to date information regarding tourist destinations here in Korea. What I find most frustating is having to trawl through tons of info regarding places to go in naver.com only to find that the info is outdated or simply incorrect. I mean what good is a tourist destination, if you have no idea how to get there, whether or not there are good places to eat nearby, and whether or not there is a place to sleep among others.
11 Comments
All the golf courses in the world aren’t going to stem the $1.2bn tide of Korean men who have found out (since prostitution became “illegal”) that for the price of a month’s green fees in Korea they can go to Thailand and play 2 rounds a day (fully loaded with scantily clad Thai caddies -girl or boy), stay in a beach front hotel, and screw all the Thai hookers they can get their Viagra enhanced (also easily procurred) gochu on.
This sounds like a dumb idea. Besides, who on Earth would ever come to Korea for the tourisim?
Could you link the original article?
Without having seen that, the plan seems not bad to me. The govt is not actually going to build courses or spend money, just loosen restrictions to allow private developers to build. The original purpose of these restrictions seemed to be a moral disapproval of golf/the rich and a desire to preserve rice farmland (which we all know is an overproduced crop here now anyways.) Not really reasons most are here are going to stand up and defend.
1.2 billion spent by golfers abroad is a whopping amount of money. Even if this plan kept a mere 1/4 of that in the country every year, that would still be 300 mill added to the churn of domestic GNP - nothing to be scoffed at. Some jobs would be created. Tax revenues would go up some. And at a cost to the govt of nothing!
Anything move by the Korean govt to loosen or abolish its web of rules and regulations and let the market do it’s thing seems good to me.
#1 - I personally know a good number of Koreans who go abroad to golf simply out of frustration at local waiting lists, and it didn’t seem like sex was their motivation. Golfing is a pretty addictive sport, and they’ve gotten into it. AND, a few of them are ajumma’s!
You may be right to some degree, but frustrated demand/supply (golf) more than a frustrated gochu seems likelier to me.
and remember according to koreans naver is sooooooo much better than google
so are the hookers to!!!!
yeah sure they are
Mins0306, remember this is an election year and promising golf courses is almost like promising hookers
They planned before to put 40 courses on Cheju by 2010, don’t know if that’s still going to happen.
The single biggest thing Korea could do to become a real tourist destination is for Koreans to go out and have more fun!
You’d be insane to go to Haeundae next week, but by August 30, 95% of the vendors there will be shut down, and you’d be the only person there. Why would vendors keep open all year without the people to serve?
The government should encourage a quarterly “tourism promotion” day off, that employees must take on a Friday or Monday, and be expected to use it for a long weekend somewhere in Korea. Just go - the staggered visitors will bring out the vendors and services, making it a nicer place go, for both Koreans and Tourists.
I was at a Tourism promotion convention in Cheju last March, and (cruelly) asked the KTO panel members to please share with us, what THEY did for their most recent holiday in Korea, to help us foreigners understand how to have fun Korean-style. Even though it was their industry, they choked, didn’t get into it, and shut down the discussion. I didn’t really expect a jolly description of their partying down at the Jarasum Jazz festival, but it would have been nice if ONE of them could have mentioned climbing a mountain or having a picnic somewhere… anything.
The golf industry in Korea is screwed up.
The clubs themselves are struggling because they have limited the amount of members and made the cost of membership too high, we sold my ex-bosses membership for over 270 Million Won last year.
The weekends are generally quieter, but even if you can “borrow” a membership the cost is still crazy.
Think of golf in Korea like JJ Mahoneys, you will go there if the company is paying but wouldnt pay those prices out of your own pocket!
That’s just what a small country with a staggeringly-high population density like Korea needs: more golf courses.
Korea’s rich will frolic overseas just because they can; only the rabble have to enjoy their vacation time in Korea.
#3
It’s not golf that’s popular but the image that they associate with it. They think sophisticated, I think nouveau riche.
#7
Yeah, they essentially charge whatever they want…which is why I really wonder if opening more courses will affect the cost of playing golf in Korea.
The amount of golf courses they build will not affect anything, if a pair of Munsing Wear golf trousers will set you back 300,000 Won now, i dont see them reducing the prices because there are more golf courses.
Lets not even start about the reputation of Korean golfers overseas!
#10.
Bingo. It’s just as much about flashing your newfound wealth than the game itself. Badminton is fun, too. But, I don’t see people shopping in their 600 000 won badminton outfits (not that I know what it would look like).
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The Golf Factory…
If there’s a demand for more golf courses in the ROK, then some entrepreneur will finance the building of golf courses on what used to be farmland. Why is assistance needed? Are the South Korean people clamoring for it, or just some developer?…
[...] The potential benefits are slim as Robert Koehler points out. Only 1.2 billion was spent by South Koreans playing golf overseas. The South Korean government [...]