South Korea's tourism industry is expected to recover from the fallout from the Middle East Respiratory Syndromeoutbreak in the fourth quarter, but the overall business sentiment still remains subdued, a poll showed Tuesday.

According to the survey conducted by the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute on 332 tour and hotel operators, the business survey index stood at 83 in the October-December period.

The figure is higher than the third quarter's 57, but it is below 100, which means pessimists outnumber optimists on business conditions down the road.

The tourism industry temporarily suffered a slump in the summer season from mass cancellations for hotels and tour packages following the first confirmed MERS case in late May.

Casino operators were the most pessimistic about their businesses as Beijing's anti-corruption drive has scared away affluent Chinese customers, the major source of income for foreigner-only casinos in the nation, the institute said.

Tour agencies and hotels were relatively more optimistic than other sectors as they expected an increasing number of travelers during the long-haul holidays, it noted. (Yonhap)