--- title: "63% of Hospitality Operators Call 2023 'Positive'" description: "ONDA surveyed domestic hospitality professionals this November. Ahead of the full report in January, we're sharing early findings: How do people in the industry view the current state — and the road ahead?" published: 2023-12-12T00:00:00+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Weekly ON" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65b0b15dce139defc155036d_6577a8f20e24f2fba4891be5_WeeklyON_vol103_webflow_cover_1200px.png" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=2023-sugbageobgye-oo-ga-geungjeongjeogieossda locale: en --- # 63% of Hospitality Operators Call 2023 'Positive' Hey there — we've had a week of unseasonably warm weather, running 5–10°C above normal. It's nice while it lasts, but the climate shift is real. Temps are set to drop below freezing this weekend, so take care in the swing 😷 ⚠️ All rights reserved. Cite this piece as 'ONDA (온다)' when quoting. --- #### **In this week's Weekly ON** 🏨 63% of hospitality operators call 2023 'positive' 💡 Shorter trips, closer destinations — and pensions over hotels ⌨️ #GlobalTourismRecovery #SeniorPremium #OverseasTravelTrends #HotelAmenities #TravelAgencyOffseason --- **🏨 Industry story** ### **63% of hospitality operators** ### **call 2023 'positive'** Travel bounced back fast in 2023. [UNWTO data](https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-to-end-2023-close-to-90-of-pre-pandemic-levels) shows 975 million tourists traveled internationally between January and September. By Q3, arrivals hit 91% of pre-pandemic levels. Global market size reached $1.4 trillion — nearly matching 2019's $1.5 trillion. The industry is past COVID. So how do Korean hospitality professionals feel? ONDA surveyed 319 domestic operators this November for our 'Hospitality Data & Trends Report,' out in January. Here's an early look. 63.3% of respondents said 2023 improved versus 2022 — rating it 'very positive' or 'positive.' Only 26.6% called it negative. ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65d6e5fcead1a1009e5046c2_vol103_1.png) The mood is better than last year. But how does it *feel*? Operators gave the industry 6.9 out of 10 on average. That's up from 6.1 in last year's survey. Momentum is real. ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65d6e6167ddf2653f21e6f6e_vol103_2.png) But there's a split. **Hotels scored 7.2 out of 10.** **Pensions and smaller properties: 6.0.** Hotels credit the endemic shift and surging interest in Korea (K-pop, K-drama). Foreign arrivals are up — and that matters. Korea Tourism Data Lab numbers back this up. In November 2022, Korea saw 400,000 foreign visitors. By October 2023? 1.23 million — a 3× jump. That's 73% of October 2019's 1.65 million. ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65d6e62bb76063796a42d2ea_vol103_3.png) Meanwhile, pension operators rated 2023 at 6.0 — nearly a full point lower than hotels. Why? Prolonged economic uncertainty. And demand still clusters around a few hot zones — leaving other regions stuck. One worry spans the industry: **Korean travelers are flooding overseas.** [Yonhap reports](https://m.yonhapnewstv.co.kr/news/MYH20231121012700641) that 5.52 million Koreans visited Japan through October alone, driven by a historic weak yen. Attracting foreign tourists is critical. But so is revitalizing domestic regional tourism — before more locals fly out instead. This is a preview of the full 'Hospitality Industry Outlook Survey,' out in January. Note: we're still collecting additional responses from smaller operators, so final numbers may shift slightly. See the full story: ### [👉 View the 2022-23 Industry Outlook Survey](https://corp.onda.me/report/2022-23-hospitality-data-trend-report?utm_source=stibee&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-2023_12_12) --- **💡 Hospitality trends** ### **Shorter trips, closer destinations—** ### **and pensions over hotels** [Consumer Insight research](https://www.consumerinsight.co.kr/voc_view.aspx?no=3451&id=pr10_list&PageNo=1&schFlag=0&schWord=) shows Gangwon-do led domestic travel in October, capturing 20.9% of overnight visitors. But here's the shift: Gangwon-do and Jeju both dropped 2% year-over-year. Gyeonggi-do gained 2%. **More travelers are staying close to home.** The driver? Cost. Average per-person domestic travel spending fell 10%+ year-over-year — from ₩259,000 in October 2022 to ₩231,000 in 2023. And travelers are favoring quick 1–2 night trips over longer stays. This shows up in accommodation choices too. Since March, **hotel usage has been declining** as travelers shift to lower-priced alternatives. **Price is the top factor in lodging decisions** — expect more travelers to skip hotels and save on pensions and other properties. See the full story: ### [👉 Read the full article](http://www.sukbakmagazine.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=55010) --- **⌨️ Keyword news** 1️⃣ **Global tourism recovery** [👉 [full story]](https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-to-end-2023-close-to-90-of-pre-pandemic-levels) **TL;DR:** International tourism on track to hit 90% of pre-COVID levels by year-end 2023 **The story:** UNWTO data shows Q3 2023 international arrivals reached 87% of pre-pandemic levels. The year should close around 90%. **Asia?** Still lagging at 62%. Northeast Asia hit only 50%, dragged down by slower-than-expected Chinese outbound recovery. 2️⃣ **Senior residences** [👉 [full story]](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4290511) **TL;DR:** Major Korean retailers launch premium senior living ventures **The story:** Lotte, Shinsegae, and other retail giants are entering the senior residence market — not as nursing facilities, but lifestyle brands targeting active seniors. **The silver economy?** Korea becomes a super-aged society in 2025. The senior market, currently worth ₩100 trillion, is projected to hit ₩165 trillion by 2030. **3️⃣ Overseas travel trends** [👉 [full story]](https://www.traveltimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=407126) **TL;DR:** Korean travelers favor short trips (under 3 days) to nearby countries **The story:** Search trends show a shift from 4–7 day trips (2022) to 1–3 day getaways (2023). Proximity and convenience win. **Hotels?** 3-star hotels top searches, followed by 4-star and 5-star. Travelers want value-driven premium stays. **4️⃣ Hotel amenities** [👉 [full story]](https://www.etnews.com/20231207000206) **TL;DR:** Single-use amenity ban reshapes hotel offerings **The story:** Starting March 2024, Korean hotels can't offer single-use shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, or razors for free — even at the front desk. Major hotels are switching to refillable dispensers, eco-friendly products, or paid sales. **The regulation?** Smaller properties are pushing for relief, citing cost and operational burdens. **5️⃣ Travel agency off-season** [👉 [full story]](https://www.traveltimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=407097) **TL;DR:** Korean travel agencies post strong results — even in off-season November **The story:** Hanatour, Modetour, and others matched or exceeded summer peak volumes in November, traditionally an off-season month. **Destinations?** Warm Southeast Asia led the way (54% for Modetour), followed by Japan (24%), China (8%), and South Pacific/Americas (7%). Winter means tropical demand. ---