By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Helper Nara, a local catering assistant placement firm, sensed no hint of slowdown this holiday season. Unlike 2008, this year it has dispatched the lion's share of its workers to five star hotels, cruise boats and luxury restaurants for all kinds of fancy year-end events.
``We had to retrain all of our staff to meet the high demands of posh venues,'' said Kim Yoon-ja, a manager at the agency, who recently hired 20 additional part-timers for the unusually busy holiday season.
She said many of the companies that traded down to cheaper venues for corporate dinners last year upgraded their choices again.
The returning demand is obvious, based on the reservation status of the city's most popular holiday party spots.
Top-notch hotels, including Lotte, Grand Hyatt, Ritz Carlton and Westin Chosun, have fully booked their event rooms early on, with reservation rates going up 20 to 30 percent compared to last year.
Even unconventional venues, such as cruise ships on the Han River, have sold out fast as event organizers seek a classy end to the year.
But while the desire for luxury is coming back, there is little holiday spirit to go around for the needy.
Charity groups and non-profit organizations say they're suffering from a drop in donations and volunteers.
Yonsei Children Center received kimchi donations two to three times, but not much more.
``The economy is said to be improving, but we're not sensing any positive changes,'' said Shin Joon-shik, the head of the center.
Habitat for Humanity Korea says the number of big donors who give up to 100 million won have ebbed by 10 percent this year compared to a year earlier.
Community Chest's tally shows that the amount of donations this year reached 92.7 billion won, down 7.6 billion won from the previous year.
``It's great to celebrate during this festive season,'' said Shin, ``but it's also sad to see that the needy people are first to feel an economic downturn and last to benefit from a recovery.''