Seoul, March 5: South Korean tourists are slowly making their way back home as tensions escalate in Middle Eastern countries. Their return has been facilitated by the arrangement of alternative flights.
According to sources in the tourism industry, over 400 tourists from major travel agencies were stranded in Dubai as of Wednesday. This group includes approximately 150 customers from Hana Tour, around 190 from Mod Tour, and about 70 from Yellow Balloon Tour, as reported by the Yonhap News Agency.
Hana Tour confirmed that 40 of its customers had already departed from Dubai the day before and are expected to arrive in South Korea by late Thursday night. Mod Tour has also arranged alternative flights for 39 of its customers, who are anticipated to reach Incheon International Airport.
Despite these returns, 330 South Korean tourists will remain in Dubai. Companies report that tourists in other Middle Eastern countries are currently returning home without major issues.
An official from Hana Tour stated that their group in Cairo is returning without any disruptions. Meanwhile, a representative from Yellow Balloon Tour mentioned that the company is arranging alternative flights for its customers in Cairo and Amman, Jordan, for this weekend.
In the meantime, a key policymaker from the ruling Democratic Party warned that rising tensions in the region could impact South Korea’s exports to the Middle East. Preparations are being made to address potential challenges if the geopolitical crisis persists.
Han Jeong-ae, chair of the National Assembly’s policy committee, noted in a meeting with Democratic lawmakers from relevant parliamentary committees that the escalating conflict could affect South Korea’s exports to major Middle Eastern countries, which amounted to 200 trillion won (approximately $136.7 billion) last year.
She emphasized that we cannot overlook the possibility that projects worth around 100 trillion won in the Middle East, developed by our companies as future growth engines in smart cities, nuclear power plants, and artificial intelligence data centers, may face delays or cancellations.
Amid growing geopolitical concerns following recent U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, the government is preparing a market stabilization program worth 100 trillion won.
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