Golf courses in Jeju suffer amid rising costs, overseas competition

Social Affairs

Published: 15 Jan. 2024, 15:10 Updated: 15 Jan. 2024, 18:33

Golf courses in Jeju suffer amid rising costs, overseas competition

A view of a golf course on Jeju Island. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

The number of golfers at Jeju's courses decreased by more than 400,000 last year.

Since golfing is cheaper in Southeast Asia and Japanese golf courses are more competitive due to the weak yen, Korean golfers are heading overseas instead.

The total number of users of 29 golf courses on Jeju Island last year was 2,415,970, down 14.3 percent, or 404,335, from 2022, according to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government on Sunday.

Jeju's golf courses benefited during the Covid-19 pandemic when overseas travel was next to impossible. Jeju golf course users spiked by 20.1 percent, or 499,231 people, to 2,898,742 in 2021 when the pandemic was in full swing.

However, the tourist boom didn't last long.

From the second half of 2022, as Covid-19 social distancing restrictions eased and overseas travel resumed, the number of people going to Jeju decreased.

There are other reasons why domestic golfers have turned overseas.

For starters, playing golf on the resort island of Jeju has grown more expensive.

Golfers at members-only golf courses in Jeju received a 75 percent individual consumption tax deduction until 2021, but that benefit disappeared in 2022.

"Green fees seem to have increased by more than 30 percent compared to before Covid-19," a travel agent specializing in golf tourism said, referring to the money a golfer is charged to play on a golf course.

Currently, the green fees for Jeju golf courses range from 180,000 won to 300,000 won ($137 to $228) on weekends and from 100,000 won to 230,000 won on weekdays.

Additional costs include caddy fees of around 150,000 won per team, cart usage fees of about 100,000 won, and food and beverage, which can put the cost of a round of 18 at more than 300,000 won per person.

Throw in round-trip airfare from the mainland of around 200,000 won during peak season, lodging costs of at least 100,000 won per night and meals, and golfers can pay up to 600,000 won for an overnight golf excursion to Jeju.

A golfer heads into Jeju International Airport to return home after playing golf on Jeju Island over winter break recently. [CHOI CHOONG-IL]

"You can play golf at green fees of 70,000 to 100,000 won not only in Southeast Asia, where golf costs are low but also in Kyushu and other regions in Japan that benefit from the low yen," the travel agent said.

The agent said a four-day, three-night overseas golf trip could cost as low as 1.8 million won per person, including hot spring accommodations.

"Even though you might pay more in actual costs than when traveling to Jeju, Jeju isn't that competitive if you consider the overall satisfaction of overseas travel," the agent added.

Last year, the Jeju golf industry asked the provincial government to revive local tax incentives and take measures to strengthen the competitiveness of Jeju golf courses.

"We will strive to improve the negative image of Jeju golf tourism by working with the industry to improve service quality and come up with a plan to adjust rates," a Jeju provincial government official said.

BY CHOI CHOONG-IL, SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]