Upgrading Korean tourism
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Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik / Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
By Choe Kwang-shik
International visitors to Korea reached 9.12 million on Oct. 20, up 18 percent from the previous year and are expected to hit a record high of 10 million by the end of the year.
The number of tourists heading to Korea showed virtually uninterrupted double-digit growth between January and August compared to the same period last year, despite uncertainty resulting from the aftermath of the global economic crisis, the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami and ensuing radiation issues from Japan’s nuclear power plant leak among other factors.
In the first 10 months of the year, 3 million people from Japan, accounting for the most arrivals from one country, and 2.45 million from China came to Korea, up 15 and 30 percent respectively from the previous year.
The surging inflow of Japanese seems to be attributed to the attractive exchange rate helped by the rising yen and the development of regional specialty tourism products, attracts them to every corner of Korea, to destinations such as the Yeosu Expo 2012 and the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival.
In the case of Chinese tourists, attracting large group tours and shopping tourism to Seoul, Jeju Island and increased school trips have played significant roles in achieving this figure.
The Korean government has been nurturing and fostering the convention industry this year and as a result, the nation became the sixth most popular conference destination in the world and had an opportunity to lay the foundation for the tourism momentum.
Revenue accrued from tourism reached $9.6 billion for the first eight months of 2012 and is expected to grow by 32.4 percent compared to last year. Analysis shows that this growth resulted from expenditure by Chinese tourists, who recently became big players and increased prices of tourism products, thanks to the improved national brand value of Korea.
At this pace of growth, the number of international tourists is expected to exceed 11 million in 2012 and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is planning to operate more active marketing campaigns focusing on China and Southeast Asian markets in order to draw more visitors.
However, it is time to make a breakthrough in the tourism industry even if the nation surpasses 10 million international visitors this year. To that end, the ministry is drawing up measures to upgrade the quality of the inbound tourism market and to enhance the added value of the tourism industry in Korea.
First of all, it will improve visitor satisfaction through enhancing the professionalism of tour guides and providing precise and transparent information on the tourism environment in Korea, including accommodation, information and transportation. Secondly, the ministry is planning to push ahead with “Shopping Paradise Korea” by providing automated tour guide systems utilizing information technology and expanding shopping certification systems and affiliated stores of China Union Pay. Thirdly, the ministry will do its best to improve tourism revenue by expanding high value-added products, such as MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events/exhibitions), medical, performing arts, wedding and ski tourism.
Last but not least, the ministry will be dedicated to vitalizing local tourism by designing specialty tour packages of varying themes in each region, where visitors can experience local gastronomy and attractions.
Since tourism is a high value-added industry, linked with many relevant sectors such as air transport, accommodation and food, the ministry is committed to working closely with those areas in order to improve the dignity of tourism even after our achievement of attracting 10 million international tourists to Korea.
The writer is the minister of culture, sports and tourism. ― ED.