A dire need for 'Office of Tourism'

By Park Moo-jong

Incheon International Airport is full of hustle and bustle with the flocking of outbound summer holidaymakers.

The number of tourists going abroad is continually increasing despite the alleged economic difficulties.

The YOLO (You Only Live Once) Tribe's latest trend to enjoy today, a la "carpe diem," without worrying about tomorrow may be contributing to making the airport a hive of activity.

Alas, the airport is not crowded with inbound foreign tourists. The number has been decreasing sharply, due to the Chinese government's retaliatory ban on group tours following the deployment of a THAAD battery here.

Statistics clearly prove the trend: For the first six months of the year, arrivals in South Korea numbered 6.75 million, down 16.7 percent from the same period of last year, while departures stood at 12.62 million, up 18.7 percent.

It is no wonder that the tourism deficit is continuing to grow. The first half of the year recorded a figure of $7.74 billion in the red, the second largest ever.

Adding insult to injury, the number of inbound travelers from other countries such as Japan, the U.S, and the Philippines is decreasing too, apparently due to security concerns caused by North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The importance of the tourism industry cannot be overstressed. It is common sense now that the economic benefit of attracting one foreign tourist is equivalent to that of exporting several UHD TV sets, and five arrivals equal the export of one car.

Countries all over the world are engaged in a hectic "tourism war" to attract foreign tourists, pouring large amounts of money into the industry and intensifying publicity abroad with their own tourism slogans.

Excellent ones include, as I think, "Incredible India," "Amazing Thailand," "Truly Asia, Malaysia," "Endless Discovery (of Japan)," "Keep Exploring (of Canada) " and "Place to Be (of Denmark)."

South Korea is using "Imagine Korea," newly chosen a few years ago from the previous "Dynamic Korea." What do you think of this? The slogan inventors seem to lack an inventive imagination.

What's the problem behind the Chinese leader's retaliation against the defensive missile system and the alleged security unrest in the face of North Korea's nuclear threats?

In short, South Korea is exorbitantly short of infrastructure such as transportation and lodging facilities, even if it takes pride in the fine subway systems in major cities.

Have tourism officials ever heard the simple complaints of many foreign tourists about the rip-off prices, the unkindness of the people and the lack of tour guides?

In fact, there are lots of foreign visitors who said they do not want to come again. The notorious rip-off prices at famous summer places and other tourist destinations are also forcing South Koreans to go abroad.

The government, on every occasion, has asserted that it will foster tourism as a national strategic industry. But what's going on in the administration testifies to the fictitious nature of the pledge.

To be brief, the government seems not to be tourism-minded. In sharp contrast with what other countries are devoting to the promotion of the tourism industry, South Korea has no independent government organ handling this.

Of course, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is in charge of the "strategic industry" after the job was transferred to it from the Ministry of Transportation in a sweeping reform of government organizations at the end of 1994.

The simple reason at that time was the responsibility the culture-sports ministry had for taking care of cultural properties, a major tourism resource.

Besides, the Tourism Bureau at the ministry, there exists the "state-run" company, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), which is neither a government office nor a private business, even though the CEO is named by the government.

Actually, the KTO, which is supervised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ― more precisely by the Tourism Bureau of the ministry ― has no particular authority, even though it employs around 1,000 people. Its headquarters in Seoul, the jewel of tourist attractions in the nation, was moved to Wonju, Gangwon Province, in 2014.

Major tourism powers have independent government organs promoting tourism policies strongly at the industrial level, such as the Office of Tourism of Singapore and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Korea takes pride in its "5,000 years of history," its cultural heritages, its scenic landscapes and its four distinctive seasons, conditions rich enough to give it a very competitive tourism industry, if they were utilized effectively.

The abrupt changes in the weather, particularly the snowy winter, might be a decisive way to further promote the Korean tourism industry more effectively since countries such as those in Southeast Asia do not have this kind of season.

South Korea, despite the reckless nuclear threats of North Korea, is still one of the safest countries in the world, where anyone can enjoy a walk along the streets even deep at night.

The tourism industry is not a simple means of earning dollars. It is a must for total marketing of the nation in the era of ever-intensifying international competition.

There is no reason for the government not to establish the Office of Tourism as a formal apparatus to inject fresh air into the sagging tourism industry. The sooner, the better. For how long must people in the tourism business look to China?

Park Moo-jong is the senior advisor of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter for the daily since 1974. He can be reached at moojong@ktimes.com or emjei2i9@gmail.com.