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| Chinese tourists arrive at Incheon International Airport, Aug. 24. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) held a welcoming ceremony for them in celebration of the 31st anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Gov't introduces comprehensive package to attract 2 million Chinese by year-end
By Lee Hae-rin
The government announced, Monday, a set of measures to attract Chinese tourists to Korea, including an electronic visa fee waiver and duty free shopping tax refund for group travelers from China.
In addition, it will make efforts toward improving quality of travel by developing high-value tourism products at reasonable prices and preventing overcharging and high-pressure sales within the industry.
These inter-ministerial measures come as the government aims to attract a total of 2 million inbound travelers from China and attain an annual GDP growth of 0.16 percentage points by the year-end, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.
China has been a key market for Korea's inbound tourism as it took a lion's share in foreign visitors to Korea, accounting for 42 percent with 6.02 million in 2019. Their average expenditure per traveler is also 38 percent higher than those of travelers from other countries.
China lifted its ban on group tours to Korea last month after more than six years of economic sanctions in retaliation against Korea's deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, but China already ranked top in the number of inbound travelers to Korea in July with over 224,000 visitors.
However, Korea needs to lure 1.5 million more Chinese tourists this year to achieve the goal, which is nearly triple the figure from the first half of the year.
Thus, the government will waive visa fees for Chinese group tours, which cost 18,000 won ($13.65) per person, and install additional visa application service centers in Beijing and Shenyang to facilitate visa issuance in the country.
Air travel will also become easier with an increase in the number of flights between the two countries. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,100 weekly flights were available between Korea and China. As of last month, there are only 697 weekly flights, marking only a 63.4 percent recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
Local airports, including the ones in Daegu and Gimhae, will also see an increase in slots for flights to and from China, while the Korea-China Sea travel routes will also be made easier and more convenient, with international ferry terminals in Incheon and Busan speeding up to allot berths to ships from China and provide shuttle buses to city centers.
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| Chinese tourists are seen on Korea's Jeju Island, Thursday, after disembarking from a giant cruise ship at a port on the southern resort island. Yonhap |
Korea seeks to boost Chinese travelers' spending by enabling over 250,000 stores across the country to use mobile payment systems like Alipay and WeChat Pay, which are more commonly used in mainland China than credit cards.
Tax refunds will also be made easier. Chinese travelers will be able to immediately get a tax refund after making a mobile payment, as the user's passport information will be sent automatically to a tax refund application.
The government also decided to improve the quality of travel in collaboration with local governments to crack down on overcharging and coercive sales practices.
Also, the country will promote inbound tourism to Chinese nationals via the K-Tourism Road Show and B2B consulting sessions in Beijing and Shanghai starting next week, targeting China's largest holiday season of the Mid-Autumn and National Day, slated for Sept. 29 to Oct. 6.
The Korean tourism industry welcomed the initiatives.
"The government's plan to attract Chinese travelers is expected to accelerate the (hotel industry's) recovery of the Chinese market," an official from Paradise City, an integrated resort on Incheon Yeongjong Island, told The Korea Times, Monday. The resort plans to launch tour products in collaboration with China's largest online travel agency Ctrip and hold several cultural events for Chinese travelers, she explained.
"This is long-awaited, great news for the duty free industry and it is expected to boost the industry's post-pandemic recovery," an official from Shinsegae Duty Free also told The Korea Times, Monday.
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| Chinese tourists enter a duty free store in downtown Seoul, Aug. 24. Yonhap |
Although duty free shops have long been considered a place to drop by for quick purchases, the company now seeks to enhance the quality of tourists' visit and shopping experience by offering cultural events and exhibitions, she said, adding that a BTS-themed exhibition and media art exhibition in collaboration with Nam Jun Paik Art Center are scheduled for this month.
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