코로나19 피해서 전국 캠핑장으로 방문객 몰려<br /><br />With COVID-19 limiting people's options for summer vacation, many are seeking to spend their summer at camp sites instead. Our Choi Won-jong visited one camping site near Suwon to check it out for himself.<br />The excitement of putting up tents and cooking outside with family and friends...is something that many people in South Korea are longing to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />In fact, some families say, going camping has been an alternative way to spend time together this summer.<br />"We couldn't go far because of COVID-19. There's a camping site near our house, so we decided to come as our family trip. It feels nice to come out again.<br />Many people are visiting camping sites to take a short break from their busy schedules. However, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, quarantine guidelines are in place at the sites.<br />Before entering the camp site, all visitors are required to get their body temperatures checked.<br />Then, campers are asked to provide personal identification information such as their names and phone numbers for tracing purposes.<br />To keep all areas safe, facility workers frequently clean touched surfaces such as kitchens, tables, and toilets.<br />"The income of our camping site increased by more than 33-thousand U.S. dollars. Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of visitors has surged nearly 40-percent compared to the previous year.<br />According to data collected by ThankQ Camping, a company which largely offers online reservation services, up to 11-thousand people made reservations during the second week in July in 2019. But over 17-thousand places were booked during the same period of the month this year - a more than 53% jump.<br />In addition, Camping First, an online camping equipment store, said that demand has increased more than 30% compared to the previous year.<br />Choi Won-jong, Arirang News<br />
