JEJU -- More tourists will likely visit Jeju Island during the 10-day Chuseok holiday, which largely takes place in early October, than the same period last year, industry sources said Thursday.

The spike in visitors comes despite the sharp drop in the number of Chinese tourists due to a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing.

People will soon be able to enjoy a longer holiday than usual for Chuseok, the autumn harvest celebration, which falls on Oct. 4 this year, as the government has designated Oct. 2 as a one-off holiday to bridge the Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 weekend and other holidays that include National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day, which commemorates the invention of the Korean alphabet, hangeul.

About 518,000 tourists are expected to flock to the southern resort island for the Chuseok holiday, up from 512,000 during the same period last year, according to statistics provided by the Jeju Provincial Tourism Association.
 

The total breaks down to 497,000 domestic tourists, up 25.5 percent from a year earlier, and 21,000 foreign tourists, down 82 percent from the previous year.

The Chinese government has banned package tours of South Korea in an apparent economic sanction against Seoul, which deployed an advanced US missile defense system despite China's objections. Beijing has also retaliated against South Korean products and cultural exports in recent months.

South Korean airlines said they will fly 2,506 flights to Jeju Island during the holiday, with more than 90 percent of seats having already been booked.

The reservation rate for rental cars has reached 90 percent, industry sources said.

Reservations for condominiums stand at 80 percent, chartered buses are 65 percent booked, golf courses are 41 percent reserved and hotels are 40 percent full.

The number of international flights to Jeju, however, is expected to fall 73 percent to 76 during the holiday from 282 a year earlier. (Yonhap)