Korea Aims to Attract 10 Million Visitors

All out to boost the inbound tourism industry

Visitors to Korea have reached 8.8 million as the Korean government created good conditions for private tourism businessmen and Korea National Tourism Organization has cooperated with them for the purpose of attracting 8.5 million foreign tourists to Korea in 2010,” said Dr. Cho Hyun-jae, director general of the Tourism Industry Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).
“Korea will become one of the leading countries in the world tourism industry and turn its tourism industry into a new growth engine after attracting ten million visitors to Korea in the early part of 2011,” Cho added.
Internationally, 19 nations attract more than ten million visitors. Korea will be the 20th member of the group and will move forward to become one of the Tourism G8 with an eye toward attracting 20 million visitors, Cho said.
To reach this goal, MCST will reinforce marketing for Chinese tourists to Korea and develop high-class tourism products such as weddings, cruises and skiing for affluent people in big cities in China such as Beijing and Shanghai. At the same time, the ministry is planning to strengthen marketing in secondary cities such as Chengdu and Wuhan significantly improve tourism infrastructure such as increasing the number of Chinese language tour guides and opening restaurants focused on catering to tourists.
In addition, the ministry will expand three specialized tourism products by season and purpose by improving the tourism industry such as simplifying visa processes for people from Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and prayer rooms for Muslim tourists.
With the aim of promoting the high-value-added tourism industry, the ministry will develop various policies such as attracting tourists to visit international meetings and exhibitions, developing medical tourism products, expanding the shopping certification system, expanding tourism and lodging infrastructure. To achieve this goal, MCST made changes by making small and medium-sized tourist hotels recognized as small and medium-sized enterprises by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for joint support projects such as inducing investment into funds with the Small and Medium Business Administration.

Korea has marked rapid growth in the tourism industry this year. The annual number of foreign visitors to Korea reached eight million for the first time on November 29. The MCST held a ceremony to welcome the eighth millionth visitor at Incheon International Airport. The annual number of foreign visitors to Korea has been on a sharp increase. The number stood at five million in 2000 and rose by one million almost every four or five years (six million in 2005, seven million in 2009). The eight million milestone was reached in 2010.
The MCST expects the number of foreign visitors to Korea in 2010 to increase 12% to 8.7 million, higher than this year’s goal of 8.5 million. The double-digit growth is attributable to the government’s strong drive to promote the Korean tourism industry and the simplification of a visa process for Chinese visitors, provide incentives for the attraction of Chinese visitors and efforts to attract foreign tourists by groups and individuals according to the analysis of the MCST.
The ministry will push forward with projects to promote the qualitative growth of the Korean tourism industry such as development of high-value-added tourist attractions, for example, MICE and medical tourism along with a steady improvement in the tourist infrastructure in Korea in order to reach ten million visitors to Korea earlier.
On the other hand, the MCST of Korea and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan signed an MOU for promotion of tourism and exchanges between the two nations by holding the 25th Korea-Japan Tourism Promotion Council in Takamatsu of Japan on December 15. The council focused on planning joint projects to steadily expand tourism exchanges between Korea and Japan next year.
Both agreed to expedite joint projects to promote exchanges between the two nations in 2011. The joint projects are (1) cooperation to expand tourism exchanges between Korea and Japan (2) promotion of foreign tourists to both nations by utilizing new transportation infrastructure and services (3) cooperation to promote tourism exchanges started from interests in culture and art (4) cooperation to expedite tourism exchanges on the basis of sports events or activities.
Participants seriously dealt with various projects to contribute to tourism exchanges between Korea and Japan such as projects to enter an era of five million tourists between the two nations and to expand the number of tourism exchanges, a review of proposals to promote tourism exchanges by the Korean and Japanese tourism industries, projects for Visit Korea Year 2010~2012 and an introduction to plans for Visit Daegu Year 2011.
Approximately 60 people took part in the meeting with MCST Director General Cho as Korea’s representative and Naoyoshi Yamada, vice commissioner for international affairs at the Japan Tourism Agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan as Japan’s representative. They agreed to reinforce cooperation between the two nations in an era of 500 visitors between Korea and Japan. nw

Dr. Cho Hyun-jae, director general of Tourism Industry Bureau of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, gives a speech at the OECD Conference on Korean Cuisine in Tourism in International and Local Perspective held in Jeonju on Dec. 8-10.

(clockwise)the Lee Young-hee fashion show,; a scene of the PBS documentary series, titled “Kimchi Chronicles,”; part of the Hallyu Dream Festival,; a poster for publicizing th Korea Grand Sale 2011,; and a scene of the Dream Concert,;