By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

A pre-paid transportation card for inbound foreign tourists, introduced last year, remains unnoticed by foreign visitors due to the lack of promotional campaigns and distribution channels.

With the ``Seoul Citypass Plus Card,'' visitors to Seoul don't have to go through the cumbersome steps of buying a separate ticket to use the public transport system and pay extra fees to transfer. Holders of the card can also enjoy a 5-30 percent discount at around 60 locations, including museums, theaters, amusement parks and restaurants in Seoul. The card is available at convenience stores and tourist information centers.

But the card is still something that is unfamiliar with sellers and foreign tourists alike.

A convenience store clerk in Gwanghwamun said ``I've worked here for months. But I've never heard nor been asked about the card.''

A tourist information center staff in central Seoul also said ``Foreign tourists hardly ever visit the information center to buy the ticket. Only one or two foreigners buy the card a month.''

According to Korea Smart Card, approximately 160,000 cards have been issued since its debut last September. But the company says the actual number of the card sold to foreign visitors was very small. ``We estimate more than 90 percent of all issued cards were bought by locals,'' the company official said.

Janny Scott, 35, who has lived in Korea for five years, said she had never heard about the card and that It should be useful for both foreign tourists and those living in Seoul when visiting different places in the capital by public transport.

Seoul City and the card maker admitted that it had failed to promote the card to inbound tourists.

``Currently, stores selling the card are mainly located in downtown Seoul. It's hard to buy the ticket in the outskirts of Seoul. Even at Incheon International Airport and some tourist attractions,'' Kim Jin-kyu, spokesman for Korea Smart Card Co., told The Korea Times.

``We plan to set up new selling booths on popular travel routes for foreign travelers and also launch an online promotion campaign,'' Kim said.

For more information about Seoul Citypass Plus Card, visit www.t-money.co.kr

pss@koreatimes.co.kr