Limited tickets available for Seoul Olympics

The Summer Olympics in Seoul start in six weeks, but it's stillnot too late to book a trip. The three Olympic essentials - ticketsto the competitions, lodging and airplane seats - remain available.However, the choices are increasingly limited.

The best bet at this late date is buying a package from a tourorganizer. Americans who want to travel independently may be ableto obtain lodging reservations and event tickets - mostly forpreliminary events or less popular sports - but they probably willhave some difficulty finding an empty airline seat to or from Seoulduring the Games, which run Sept. 17-Oct. 2.

Despite official concerns about possible terrorist incidents,at least one tour operator says business is brisk as opening dayapproaches. "We're swamped," says Robin Pagano of Far East TravelConcepts in Florida. "Things are getting busier instead of slackeningoff."

Estimates of the number of American spectators expected totravel to the Games range from about 8,000 - the figure offered bythe firm handling event ticket sales in the United States - to50,000, the perhaps optimistic number cited by Korean tourismofficials.

If you decide to go, the situation is as follows:

EVENT TICKETS: The United States received an allotment fromSouth Korea of about 100,000 tickets to competitions in 23 sports.The tickets were sold through a lottery system administered byOlson-Travelworld of Los Angeles, a travel firm designated by SouthKorea's Olympic organization.

Olson-Travelworld received about 100,000 requests for tickets,but because there were many duplicate requests for popular events,the firm expects to fill only about 80 to 85 percent of the orders.Subsequent to the lottery, Olson-Travelworld received an additionalallotment of tickets, mostly to less popular events.

For a list of what is available and instructions on ordering,write Olson-Travelworld, 5855 Green Valley Circle, Culver City,Calif. 90230; phone (800) 992-9511.

Olson-Travelworld plans to operate a booth in Seoul during theGames to help travelers exchange unwanted tickets. South Koreantourism officials say tickets will be sold at the sites of the events- although there may be long lines.

A few tour operators have tickets they will make available totravelers who purchase a tour. Some operators say they receivedtheir own ticket allotments from South Korean sources and were not apart of the lottery arrangement.

LODGING: Hotel space, except for rooms reserved by touroperators, is reported to be often impossible to obtain.Budget-priced accommodations are still available in small inns,called yogwans, and a government-sponsored home-stay program.

Of 10,000 rooms in yogwans, about 44 percent have been bookedso far, says Byoung H. Lee, assistant director of the Korean NationalTourist Corp. The inns, all of which have rooms with private bath,have been upgraded.

Plenty of vacancies remain in the home-stay program, wheretravelers stay with a family in a private home. At least one memberof the Korean family is expected to be able to speak English. Theprice for a room at a yogwan begins at about $30 a night for two. Astay in a home is about $30 to $35 for two.

Applications for either a yogwan or a home stay can be obtainedfrom the Korean National Tourism Corp., 230 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago60601; call 346-6660.

PACKAGES: Korean Source has put together 12 itineraries for theGames, seven of which are to Seoul only. The others include a stayin Hong Kong. Accommodations are in deluxe hotels and, according topresident Rita Gould, the firm has its own source of event tickets inKorea.

Ten-day packages from New York begin at $2,915 per person,double occupancy. The cost of event tickets is additional.

For information: Korean Source Inc., 673 Boyleston St., Boston,Mass. 02116; call (800) 541-9949.

Olson-Travelworld has limited space left in deluxe andfirst-class hotels and Olympic Family Town apartments. It also hasseats aboard United Airlines and tickets to some events.

An eight-day package, which includes round-trip air fare fromLos Angeles and accommodations in a condo apartment, is $2,250.

FLIGHTS: Airlines serving South Korea from the United Statesare United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and KoreanAir. All Nippon Airways and Japan Air Lines fly to Seoul via Tokyo.Some tour operators still have seats available. Otherwise, youprobably will have to shop around for a seat.