North Korea: "One million" China target for Korean tourism

"One million" China target for Korean tourism

      South Korea was before this year favoured by Spanish-based travel transaction processing company Amadeus as the market to watch globally for growing tourism. The South Korean government is taking the tip at face price - and is particularly interested in seeing affluent tourists arrive from the Chinese mainland.

Aiming to attract additional than million Mainland tourists this summer, the government introduced revised visa regulations to make it easier for Chinese tourists to enter the country.

From the beginning of this month, multiple-entry visas have been granted to medical tourists, investors and the staff of public corporations. They need to show proof that they are financially sound and are unlikely to remain in Korea illegally.

Up until recently, visas had been limited to doctors, lawyers, accountants, university lecturers, entertainers and athletes.

The validity of multiple-entry visas will as well be extended from the current year to three years. The period can be extended for a maximum of years if applicants present themselves for a second time. The visa process itself has been simplified to facilitate tourists.

In order to attract Mainland visitors, additional price-added tax refund windows have been established in Seoul.

As well, retailers have started accepting Rmb from Chinese mainland tourists, along with Mainland bankcard association UnionPay, so that tourists don't have to exchange their money for Korean Won.

South Korean chain Shinsegae Department Store has ensured that its major branch in Seoul started accepting Rmb.

To accommodate additional Chinese tourists, dormitories in colleges have been open during the summer vacation as guest houses.

To prevent Mainland tourists from being victimised by unqualified Chinese guides, the number of Chinese tour guide exams set by the government has been upgraded to improve tour guiding experiences.

Clearly the government is looking closely at Mainland tourists' higher disposable incomes. A lot of Chinese mainland tourists spend lavishly, and they account for an increasing proportion of sales.

The South Korean government and tourism companies believe the tourism boom is due to a better appreciation of Korean culture, including K-Pop (Korean popular music), a desire to experience the new transit systems (including the Korea Train Express) and try out new smartphone barcode technology, for which the country is renowned.

Over million Mainland tourists visited South Korea last year, 3.2% of amount Mainland travellers overseas.

They spent twice as much money as Japanese tourists, according to reports from the Shinsegae and Lotte store chains, an increase of additional than 50% compared to 2010.

The Mainland is as well seen as an investor in the Korean tourism sector. Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC) recently came to an agreement with Mainland companies to invest in Jeju Island and JDC considers that a lot of Chinese are their most precious clients, interested in investment in tourism infrastructure and property development.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said some 67,000 jobs were created last year by the tourism sector, while the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) reported that over 800,000 Mainland visitors visited South Korea in the first half of the year, up 9.2% compared to last year.