Foreign Tourist Arrivals
Likely to Increase in 2007

ASTA Int'l Destination Expo will be held on March 25-29, 2007 at Jeju

Hallyu Expo in Asia is expected to boost the tourism industry of Jeju Island, which marks the year 2006 with "Visit Jeju-Korea"celebrations, tourism experts say.
For Jeju Island, the year 2007 will also be a stellar year for attracting inbound foreign tourists as the island will host the American Society for Travel Agents'(ASTA) International Destination Expo next March, they say.
The ASTA International Destination Expo will be held for four days currently for March 25-29 at the Jeju International Convention Center, with about 2,000 travel professionals expected to participate.
ASTA, short for the American Society of Travel Agents, is one of the world's largest associations of travel professionals, along with PATA. ASTA has 26,000-plus members from 140 countries, including travel agents and companies whose products they sell like tours, cruises, hotels and car rentals.
Korea hosted the 1983 ASTA International Invitational for the first time.
Each host country of the ASTA International Invitation witnessed an average 15 percent surge in international tourists. The 2007 ASTA International Invitational will serve as an opportunity to introduce Jeju to ASTA members, thus helping Jeju diversify its international tourist markets and attract more international tourists.
In an effort to make Jeju's hosting the 2007 ASTA International Invitational a success, the Jeju provincial government plans to beef up publicity activities by participating in the 2205 and 2006 ASTA International Invitational.
IUCN's FIELD SURVEY. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) will hold its annual meeting in July in which it will determine whether "jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes"is put on the Cultural Heritage List.
Paul Richard Dingwall, an IUCN advisor, made a trip to Korea on October 14-25 to conduct a field survey on the "jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes,"which was nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List by the Cultural Heritage Administration and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province in January this year. IUCN is one of the advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee.
Dingwall, along with Korean experts including the Cultural Properties Committee members, inspected the nominated sites such as Hallasan Natural Reserve, Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone and Geomunoreum Lava Tube System, in order to evaluate their value as World Heritage, the authenticity of the application content and the preservation status of the nominated heritage. The delegation also met with interview volunteers working for the preservation of the cultural heritage on the Jeju Island and local residents to sound out their opinion regarding a possible listing of the "jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes"and their dedication to it.
The Cultural Heritage Administration and Jeju Province have been jointly striving to put "jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes"UNESCO World Heritage List.
They have been engaged in activities like the management of the surrounding areas of the nominated heritage and the two times of mock field surveys involving local and foreign experts. nw