By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The nation's tourism agency aims to attract 7 million foreign visitors this year, bringing in a projected $5.8 billion in tourism income, by developing various programs mainly targeting tourists from China and Japan.
Oh Jee-chul, president of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), said that the year 2008 will be a good opportunity for boosting the nation's tourism along with the Year for Tourism Exchanges Between Korea and Japan and the Olympic Games in Beijing.
``As Korea is close to the Olympic Games hosting country, we can attract some visitors to China to Korea as well. For example, we can propose that countries use Korea as their training camp before going to China for the games,'' Oh said in a press conference.
He said 46 athlete teams from 17 countries have already decided to come to Korea for training.
The Korean and Japanese governments agreed last year to designate 2008 as the year for tourism exchange. Dozens of programs are scheduled including youth exchange programs, and the tourism body aims to bring 2.5 million Japanese visitors to Korea, a 12 percent rise from last year.
``To meet the goal, we should improve services that Japanese travelers usually complain about, including taxis that are notorious for being unkind, speeding and overcharging,'' the president said.
For the China market, which is the second largest following Japan, the KTO will focus on improving cheap, low-quality package programs, as many unsatisfied Chinese visitors return home with bad images about Korea's tourist services, Oh said.
``To make up for the low-price packages, tour conductors provide Chinese travelers with cheap food and accommodation, forcing them to shop. Even though it could cause the number of Chinese visitors to decrease for a while, travel agencies should raise their package prices and provide quality programs,'' he said.
In regard to the complicated visa procedure for Chinese nationals, Oh said the office is considering asking the Ministry of Justice to simplify the procedure for public and business officials, students on school trips and family tourists.
Besides the Chinese and Japanese markets, the KTO is preparing tour programs that would satisfy travelers from various regions ― for example, temple stays and taekwondo lessons for European and American tourists, shopping and cosmetics for Southeast Asians, and halal food for Muslim travelers.