HONG KONG/SEOUL — Worries over bedbugs are spreading in Asia’s tourism sector, just as the industry works to bring business back to pre-pandemic levels.
An outbreak of bedbugs was reported in South Korea in mid-October, following infestations in European cities such as Paris and London. The scare has quickly spread to Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan — some of the top sources of visitors to South Korea — while governments and businesses are scurrying to assure the public that the tiny critters are under control.