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| Travelers wait in line to go through departure procedures at Incheon International Airport, Nov. 5. Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
Korea will ease mandatory quarantine rules gradually to attract more international travelers as part of efforts to support a rebound of the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision was made during a government meeting on tourism strategies, presided over by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Friday.
A travel bubble agreement signed between Singapore and Korea in early October will go into effect, Monday, aiming to exempt or ease rules on mandatory quarantine for travelers to and from both countries who have been fully vaccinated.
The government said it will expand the list of countries for quarantine-free travel gradually after monitoring the COVID-19 situation in each nation.
Singapore is the second destination with which Korea signed a travel bubble agreement, after Saipan.
The government said it will also gradually resume visa waiver and no-visa entry programs that have been suspended due to the pandemic and begin to resume international flights at regional airports at the end of this month.
It added that it will actively utilize the popular tourism promotional video series, "Feel the Rhythm of Korea," and Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min as well as the Netflix hit series "Squid Game" to attract more international travelers to Korea.
"We are aiming to attract 25 million international tourists in 2025," Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee said.
The largest number of international travelers was tallied in 2019 at 17.5 million.
The minister added that the government will inject 649 billion won ($550 million) in tourism loan funding next year to help the tourism industry recover swiftly from the pandemic.
