Jeju Province and tourism authorities have launched a full-scale response after "Jeju horror stories" exploiting a missing-person case spread across social media and YouTube, prompting early signs of a drop in visitors.
A total of 517,580 domestic tourists visited Jeju between August 19 and September 3 this year, down 0.8%, or 4,135 people, from 521,715 during the same period a year earlier, according to the Jeju Tourism Association on the 5th. The decline in domestic visitors briefly widened to double digits immediately after the body of a missing woman in her 30s was found, between August 25 and September 3.
The tourism industry attributed the downturn to a combination of factors beyond the rumors, including reduced airline seat capacity and the end of the summer vacation season. Even so, accommodation businesses have reported a series of cases in which customers canceled reservations while citing the missing-person case.
The Jeju Tourism Association has begun a survey of member businesses on reservation cancellations linked to the rumors. Based on the findings, the association plans to draw up specific measures, including a campaign to counter the spread of online fake news.
Jeju Province has also moved to contain the fallout. On the 27th of last month, the province held a meeting of related agencies on measures for a safe Jeju, where participants agreed to respond strongly to false and distorted information. The province is operating a fake-news response system led by its spokesperson's office, while also strengthening management of areas with safety risks and systems to protect tourists.
An official in Jeju's tourism industry told News1 that unverified horror stories about Jeju are being spread on social media and YouTube, adding that the industry is closely watching the situation because of concerns about secondary damage to local small business owners.
