Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, acting president, said on the 26th, "We will quickly implement emergency support measures such as financial support and special loans for the stability of the tourism industry's management."
Acting President Han made this statement at the "9th National Tourism Strategy Meeting" held at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, noting, "To revitalize the tourism market, we will execute next year's budget for the tourism sector early in the first half."
The government announced a "tourism market stabilization plan" at the meeting, which includes "three types of specialized financial support for tourism businesses." Specifically, it plans to provide general loans amounting to 536.5 billion won, interest compensation of 100 billion won, and credit-guaranteed loans worth 70 billion won starting in January next year. It also plans to urgently support a special loan of 50 billion won to establish a management safety net for the tourism industry.
Acting President Han said, "We will actively seek various support measures, such as accommodation coupons, to reduce the travel burden for tourists," adding, "The government will do its best to stabilize the tourism market."
In addition, Acting President Han noted, "What is urgently needed now is to inform the international community that Korea's tourism is safe," and said, "We will make all-out efforts to restore the tourism image through collaboration with influential foreign media."
Furthermore, they mentioned, "We will use major international events, such as the 'ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)+3 (South Korea, China, Japan)' Tourism Ministers' Meeting and the Spain International Tourism Fair scheduled for January next year, as opportunities to promote Korean tourism, and will continue special promotions such as the Korea Grand Sale throughout the first half to create tourism demand."
Acting President Han said, "To alleviate inconveniences for foreign tourists, we will operate the 'tourist interpretation guide 1330' service 24 hours a day, and continuously improve services such as map search and payment convenience in collaboration with the private sector to match the travel routes involving eating, sleeping, moving, and shopping," and added, "We will institutionalize urban homestays for Koreans to expand various forms of local accommodations."
And they said, "We will establish the core infrastructure of regional tourism, including airports, cruises, and tourism transportation networks," adding, "We will actively communicate with the tourism industry to materialize, supplement and advance the announced policies promptly."