The government will implement a temporary visa exemption pilot program for group tourists from China to attract foreign tourists during the upcoming third quarter. It will also introduce demand-responsive transport (DRT) buses to make it easier for foreign tourists to access regional tourist sites and plan various experiential events.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 20th that a joint meeting with relevant departments was held in Gyeongju under the chairmanship of Acting President Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, to present the 'Global Growth Strategy for the Korean Tourism Market.'
The government plans to announce the implementation plan for the temporary visa exemption targeting Chinese group tourists recruited by dedicated travel agencies next month. The goal is to proceed with implementation in the third quarter after soliciting public opinions.
The government plans to focus on attracting individual tourists aged 20 to 30 from major Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, while developing themed tourism products in sports, gourmet, beauty, religion, and culture and arts to attract group tourists from second and third-tier cities.
According to estimates from the Bank of Korea, if the number of Chinese group tourists increases by 1 million, it will lead to a 0.08 percentage point rise in the economy's growth rate.
For Japanese tourists, the government will work to attract not only women in their 20s and 30s, who are the core target group for traveling to Korea, but also other age groups and male tourists.
In addition to promoting the three preferred themes of shopping, gourmet, and beauty among Japanese tourists, plans are to refine the marketing according to different segments, such as educational trips for future generations, fashion and sports for males, and gourmet and nature for middle-aged and older generations.
To diversify travel routes, the government will focus on promoting tourism in Gyeongju and the North Gyeongsang Province region in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Due to the shift in tourism trends from 'group' to 'individual' and from 'sightseeing' to 'experience-oriented,' the government will establish a one-stop support system for tourism exports.
Initially, the Korea Tourism Organization will expand its policy client base from being centered on the travel industry to include local governments, service industries, and consumer goods sectors to plan various experiential products.
In addition, a consultation support channel called 'Inbound One-stop' will be established on the Korea Tourism Industry Portal to assist local governments or small businesses wishing to attract foreign tourists, which will be operational starting in May.
Inbound One-stop plans to improve the professionalism and efficiency of consultations by categorizing inquiries about local sales and marketing channels into databases.
In connection with K-tourism roadshows held in major cities worldwide, experiential promotional events targeting local governments and corporations as well as local consumers will also be held.
To enable foreign tourists to access regional tourist sites more easily, transportation accessibility will also be improved. A representative initiative is the 'super-region tourism transport innovation leading district' project starting this year, planned by Chungbuk and Chungnam to connect Cheongju Airport, Osong Station, and Baekje Cultural Heritage sites.
As a tourism transport promotion area, Sokcho in Gangwon Province and Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province will be selected, and DRT buses will be introduced to flexibly operate routes and schedules according to tourist demand.
Jang Mi-ran, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, 'We plan to create unique local festivals such as Jinhae Gunhangje and Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival into tourism products for inbound tourists and actively promote the 'Korea Tourism Essential App' both online and offline to significantly improve regional tourism conditions.'