680 Philippine tourists to visit Gangwon Province for skiing experience

Foreign tourists visit Namsangol Hanok Village in central Seoul, Dec. 10. Yonhap

About 680 tourists from the Philippines will visit Gangwon Province through four rounds of chartered flight packages connecting Manila and the eastern coastal city of Yangyang, the provincial government said, noting that the first group arrived on Monday.

The province will receive the remaining tourists until Jan. 3.

During their two-night stay, the visitors will go skiing at Yongpyong Resort in Pyeongchang, as well as visit the picturesque Nami Island and Lego Land in Chuncheon and the BTS bus stop in Gangneung, where K-pop sensation BTS’ album jacket was photographed.

The tour program came as the result of the provincial government’s visit to the Philippines in August.

During the visit, the municipality signed a memorandum of agreement with the Korea Tourism Organization and local travel agency Rakso Travel to launch a visa-free chartered flight package, and held tourism promotion events.

Other municipalities are also speeding up efforts to attract foreign travelers to their regions by offering guided tours and chartered flights.

Damyang County of South Jeolla Province ran an exclusive visit program for foreign residents in Korea to promote regional tourism earlier this month.

The group, consisting of 12 foreign nationals originally from Asia, Europe and South America, was offered a one-night trip to the region, visiting its key travel destinations, including the massive Juknokwon bamboo forest, the Metasequoia-lined Road, Gwanbangjerim Forest and Starlight-Moonlight Road. Then, they shared their experiences via social media.

Yesan County of South Chungcheong Province aims to attract 10 million inbound travelers by 2033.

In its 201.5 billion won ($155.2 million) project, the county plans to build tourism infrastructure and ecosystem and develop regional tourism content to make the region an attractive travel destination for international and domestic travelers.