Vacationers carrying „hanbok“ pose at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
Korea plans to revitalize inbound tourism to spice up the native financial system amid ongoing political instability, with a objective of attracting 18.5 million overseas guests this 12 months, up 13 % in comparison with 2024, the Korea Tourism Group (KTO) mentioned Wednesday.
“Lately, Korea’s tourism trade has seen challenges akin to journey issues of safety, a continued financial downturn in main inbound markets and the quickly altering home and worldwide sociopolitical circumstances,” KTO’s interim president, Search engine marketing Younger-choong, mentioned in a press convention in Seoul.
“Alternatively, there are additionally alternatives, akin to a rise in unbiased journey demand and the rising recognition of Korean tradition all over the world. The group plans to focus its capabilities round its core companies to stably overcome the disaster and make a much bigger leap ahead,” he mentioned.
Final 12 months, Korea noticed some 16.37 million inbound vacationers, which is a 48.4 % soar from the earlier 12 months and a 94 % restoration from the 2019 prepandemic document excessive. Nevertheless, the determine falls behind the nation’s formidable objective to achieve 20 million inbound guests.
In response, the KTO will propel eight core tasks underneath the acronym “SPECTRUM,” which displays the nation’s newest inbound and home journey traits.
The time period is an abbreviation for sustainable regional tourism efforts, pet-friendly tourism, growth of the Korean wave trade, culinary and connoisseur journey, tech-driven synthetic intelligence developments, revitalizing wellness and therapeutic journey, unprecedented digital transformation and significant native experiences.
Notably, KTO will unfold its strategic advertising marketing campaign by highway exhibits in 20 cities all over the world, over half of which is able to happen throughout the first half of this 12 months, it mentioned.
Additionally, the group will reap the benefits of the rising international recognition of Korean tradition and collaborate with regional municipalities and tourism organizations to host Okay-pop concert events and cultural occasions in a number of cities exterior of Seoul.
Korea Tourism Group’s (KTO) performing President Search engine marketing Younger-choong speaks throughout the group’s annual convention with regional tourism organizations, municipalities and trade officers in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of KTO
In accordance with a latest survey by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism, 35.6 % of inbound guests in 2023 had been underneath 30, whereas an awesome 84 % had been unbiased vacationers.
Notably, „hallyu,“ or the Korean wave, was the most important motivation issue for vacationers to go to Korea, with 32.1 % of respondents saying so.
The group additionally famous that neighboring China, which beforehand accounted for the lion’s share of Korea’s inbound vacationers and trade gross sales, will play a key half in Korea’s tourism restoration.
Final 12 months, some 4.6 million Chinese language vacationers visited Korea, accounting for 28.1 % of the 16.3 million inbound guests.
Nevertheless, the determine nonetheless lags far behind the prepandemic document excessive of 6 million, when Chinese language vacationers made up 34.4 % of inbound guests of 17.5 million.
In the meantime, pushed primarily by its increasing visa-waiver scheme, China noticed its inbound journey bookings soar by 203 % throughout this 12 months’s Lunar New 12 months interval in contrast with the final 12 months’s vacation interval, the South China Morning Publish reported, Tuesday. Korea was among the many prime 5 visiting nations throughout the interval.
Below the up to date visa-exemption coverage launched in November, Korean nationals can go to China for as much as 15 days with out a visa by Dec. 31, 2025.
In response, Korea has been actively contemplating permitting Chinese language tour teams to enter the nation with out a visa. At the moment, Chinese language vacationers can keep visa-free for as much as 30 days, however solely on Jeju Island.
