Seoul, Dec 26 The government unveiled a set of measures on Thursday aimed at stabilising its tourism sector, facing setbacks after President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief martial law declaration and impeachment.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported the measures during a government meeting presided over by acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reports Yonhap news agency.
International tourist arrivals have rebounded to 94 percent of pre-pandemic levels, with 13.7 million visitors recorded by October. However, the industry is facing a renewed strain due to political unrest following Yoon's martial law declaration on December 3 that prompted major economies to issue heightened travel alerts.
The meeting comes amid concerns that the repercussions of the political situation could extend into the first half of next year.
To facilitate a quick recovery and revitalise the tourism market, the government will launch aggressive campaigns to promote a positive image of traveling to Korea through various channels, the ministry announced. They include major international tourism expos and the culture ministry's "K-tourism roadshow," a series of overseas events promoting Korean tourism.
As part of efforts to stimulate demand for tourism, South Korea will intensively hold a series of large-scale events aimed at recreating demands for visiting the country in the first half of 2025, including the Korea Grand Sale, the Beyond K-Festa "hallyu" festival and the Korea Beauty Festival for showcasing the nation's burgeoning K-beauty industry. Hallyu refers to the global boom of Korean pop culture.
To enhance the convenience of foreign tourists, the government will operate four of the eight languages available for its "1330 tourism interpretation and information service" for tourists for 24 hours from January to March next year.
The temporary exemption of the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) program for select countries and regions will be extended for another year until December 2025. Visa issuance fees for group tourists from China and five Southeast Asian nations will also be waived till the same month.
The government will cooperate with private companies, such as Naver, to improve foreign-language maps, restaurant reservations and payment systems. Efforts include expanding foreign-language translations of reviews for tourist sites and restaurants on the local portal service and increasing QR payment infrastructure at major tourist attractions and shopping centres. Automatic ticket vending machines allowing payments with international credit cards will also be introduced.
In addition to its focus on inbound tourism, the government announced plans to launch nationwide campaigns promoting domestic tourism, provide financial support to the industry, which has been impacted by the political turmoil, and expand regional tourism infrastructure.
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