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| Travelers to Jeju Island enjoy blooming canola flowers in the mountainous southwestern coastal area of Andeok-myeon, Feb. 8. Yonhap |
By Lee Hae-rin
The southern resort island of Jeju seeks to attract Chinese tourists again by restoring direct flights between the island and China after the Korean government resumed issuing short-term visas to foreign arrivals from China starting Saturday.
The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced via a press release, Friday, that it "welcomes" the government's decision to reissue short-term visas. It is a "timely measure," considering China's coronavirus situation and its impact on the island's and the country's economy, the provincial government said.
In response, Jeju plans to seek ways to facilitate the entry of Chinese travelers into the island. It will consult with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and Safety to restore direct flights between Jeju and China. Direct flights from China, Hong Kong and Macau to the Korean resort island have been suspended since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun requested the government at a Central United Defense Council meeting presided over by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Wednesday, to ease quarantine regulations on travelers arriving in Korea from China. Oh made the same request at a meeting with local governments, Friday.
Also, the governor met Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming, Wednesday, to discuss ways to cooperate on the free passage of travelers between the island and China.
Jeju, which has tourism offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenyang, plans to promote the island's tourism attractions to Chinese tourists by collaborating with the Korea Tourism Organization, the Jeju Tourism Organization and the Jeju Tourism Association.
Over three million Chinese tourists visited Jeju Island in 2016. In 2019, just before the island was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, 800,000 Chinese tourists visited Jeju, accounting for the majority of the island's international visitors.
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