By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) — The South Korean finance ministry declared on Monday that it will be suspending visa processing fees for Chinese visitors until the end of 2020 and increasing the number of flights between the two countries in an attempt to attract more tourists. This decision follows the Chinese tourism authorities’ announcement to lift the ban on group tours to South Korea, which had been in effect for six years due to strained relations over the deployment of a U.S. defense system in the country.
Between 2017 and 2019, the average annual number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea was 4.99 million. This figure dropped to 540,000 during the first half of this year, however, it is anticipated that the number of visitors will begin to rise again in the fall due to normalized international travel and Beijing’s new policies.
The government plans to bring in 1.5 million extra Chinese tourists in the second half of the year, with the goal of reaching 2 million by 2023. This is expected to contribute to a 0.16 percentage-point growth in South Korea’s gross domestic product.
In addition to lifting visa fees, South Korea has also opened two extra visa centers in China, bringing the total number of such offices to seven. The government will also “proactively” approve additional flights between the two countries; in August, the number of weekly flights was 697, which is approximately 63.4 percent of the number in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to attract more tourists, South Korea is creating package programs that link to the annual Korea Sale FESTA — the Korean equivalent of Black Friday — in November, and will be refunding value-added taxes for foreign tourists through mobile payment platforms, such as WeChat Pay, UnionPay, and Alipay, starting in October and December respectively.
The government will also be taking action to crack down on unauthorized accommodations and tour guides in September.
This Aug. 27, 2023, file photo shows tourists visiting Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
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