MCT Sets Sights
on Attracting
10 Million Tourists

133 people honored with prizes during the anniversary of Tourism Day

Lotte Hotel became the first Korean company to be awarded with the 800 million tourism promotion tower as the hotel chalked up $803 million in foreign exchange earnings during the past year.
Lotte Hotel CEO Chang Kyung-chak, who won the $800 million tourism promotion tower was one of 133 people who have been conferred government medals and other prizes in recognition of their contribution to promoting the local tourism industry during a ceremony marking the celebration of the 33rd Tourism Day in Lotte Hotel on September 27th.
Kim Soon-do, CEO of Seoul Royal Hotel in Myeongdong, downtown Seoul, was awarded with the Order of Industrial Service, Gold Tower, while Chung Un-sik, chairman and CEO of Korea Tourism Association, received the Order of Industrial Service, Silver Tower.
Culture and Tourism Minister Kim Myung-gon said in his welcoming speech, "The worsening of price competition, our lack of tourism infrastructure, and competition with Japan, China and other Northeast Asian countries are all very disconcerting.""To overcome these hurdles and make the leap to a 'Northeast Asian tourism hub,"cooperation between the public and private sectors has become more necessary than at any other time,"he added. Vice Minister Culture and Tourism Park Yang-woo read the speech in place of the minister.
Minister Kim said, "The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will pursue a policy to open an era in which we welcome 10 million foreign visitors. Simultaneously, we will make more efforts in developing tourism goods, making full use of the Hallyu phenomenon. We plan to alter many policies that heretofore hindered the development of the tourism industry by improving the tourism-related regulations and tax system."To promote balanced local and regional development, improve people's culture and enforce international competitiveness, he said, a greater emphasis will be placed on the tourism industry. The ministry will put its energy into discovering unique and competitive quality service and fostering the proper etiquette to attract more tourism by making visitors comfortable.
Korea Tourism Association Chairman Chung said in his opening message, "As tourism is recognized as a driving force to lead national development in the 21st century, every country is concentrating their national strength to nurture their tourism industry as one of their key business strategies. Korea is not alone in putting forth a variety of efforts in different directions into nurturing and developing our tourism industry. The obvious example of our commitment is that this year the government has deemed tourism to be an export industry." "As a result of this positive effort of our government, last year we achieved our goal of 6 million foreign visitors. To reach our future target of 10 million visitors more quickly, our tourism industry will have to double its efforts,"he said.
Chung noted that Korea has a very advantageous geographical position for receiving tourists. Korea, China and Japan, the three countries of Northeast Asia, all have unlimited tourism human resources. He stressed the need to soon make a plan to accommodate Chinese tourists ― a huge potential market that will become a reality in the very near future, adding that "along with that, we have to develop a Northeast tourism forum in addition to the meetings of Korean, Chinese and Japanese ministers of tourism that will be held every year beginning this year."He said, "If all these plans are realized, we can hope to host 10 million tourists per annum by 2010 and 20 million or up to 30 million by 2020." nw