The Korea Tourism Association and 30 other tourism-related organizations issued a joint statement Tuesday, calling on the government to spend more money to develop the country’s leisure infrastructures and attract more foreign visitors.
They argued that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had initially promised to secure 1.2 trillion won, or 0.37 percent of next year’s 326 trillion won budget, for the tourism sector.
``To boost the international competitiveness of the local tourism industry and encourage more Koreans to travel domestically, the ministry promised us to spend at least 1.2 trillion won. But according to the ministry’s budget proposal, the amount is only 970 billion won, or 0.29 percent of the 2012 budget,’’ they said in a statement.
The organizations said the tourism industry creates positive synergy with healthcare, convention and other sectors. ``Tourism holds a key to generating jobs, improving quality of life and advancing the structure of the local economy. Through the parliamentary review of the 2012 budget in the coming days, we expect tourism-related state expenditures to increase.’’
They also said the government should invest more to build hotels and other leisure-related facilities, as well as nurture more professionals to provide foreign visitors with higher quality services.
On Nov. 9, the National Assembly’s committee on culture, sports and tourism issued a statement demanding the government allocate at least 1.5 percent of the next year’s budget for these sectors.