North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Blamed for Low Interest in Winter Olympics
North Korea's dictator is seemingly causing a cloud of panic and fear over the 2018 Winter Olympics slated in February.
In an interview with USA Today, Anbritt Stengele, founder of Chicago-based travel agency Sports Traveler, said that the "interest level is very low," referring to the upcoming Olympics. "We had Sochi (Russia) in 2014, and that interest level was lower than Vancouver (in 2010). But this one is even lower than Sochi. I would just classify it as extremely light interest. Sales have been stagnant."
Moreover, Stengele noted that key factors affecting the people's interest in the momentous event, pointing to fears concerning North Korea and its missile tests as the biggest one. She said that people were unsure if travel insurance will cover the cancellations, should an attack from North Korea occurs.
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Furthermore, she also said that even the travelers who regularly watch the Olympics live are on the fence on the idea of going to Seoul then moving to different event sites that are located more than a hundred miles away. "They're burning an extra night in a hotel room in Seoul. That in itself has had a lot of pushback from our regular customers who are used to landing and hitting the ground running," Stengele added.
Meanwhile, Newsweek reported that even those who are part of the Olympic committee are feeling the effects of North Korea and Kim Jong-un's potential threat. Karl Stoss, head of Austria's national Olympic committee, in September said that "If the situation worsens and the security of our athletes is no longer guaranteed, we will not go to South Korea." Stoss' statement came in the heat of the word war between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Despite the current gloomy reception for the Winter Olympics, hope still springs eternal for the organizers. Newsweek noted that things could still turn around for the better leading up to the event.
"Koreans are known to be last-minute buyers, so we expect to see an increase in sales as we mark several milestones," said Nancy Park, Pyeongchang Games Organizing Committee spokeswoman.
