Seoul City Takes Action to Revive Tourism Industry Hit by COVID-19... Promotes 'Safe Seoul'

'Tourism Industry Meeting to Overcome COVID-19' Held
Over 70% Decrease in Foreigners' Domestic Travel
'Safe Seoul' Promotion → Active Tourism Demand Creation → Ecosystem Strengthening through Diversification
Park Won-soon "Will Actively Attract Tourists by Visiting China"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched efforts to revive the tourism market, which has been contracted due to the impact of COVID-19.

On the 14th, Seoul held a 'Tourism Industry Meeting to Overcome COVID-19' at the Summit Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, where it announced measures to revitalize Seoul tourism and gathered opinions from the tourism industry, related organizations, and experts. As the scale of damage continues across the tourism sector, including travel agencies, airlines, duty-free shops, and hotels, the city decided to mobilize all administrative resources.

According to the tourism industry, outbound group travel packages to China (domestic travelers going abroad) have been canceled by 95%, and inbound travel (foreigners visiting Korea) by 74%, with almost no inquiries or new bookings for travel products. Flights between Korea and China have decreased by about 70%, most MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) events have been canceled or postponed, and duty-free shops have seen a 90% drop in visitors compared to usual.

The main measures by Seoul focus on promoting 'Safe Seoul' to prevent the collapse of the tourism industry (Phase 1 response), actively creating tourism demand (Phase 2 recovery) to revive the stagnant tourism market, and diversifying the tourism market (Phase 3 leap) to strengthen the tourism ecosystem.

First, the city will provide emergency special loans totaling 500 billion KRW to small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners located in Seoul. With guarantees from the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, loans can be obtained through 13 commercial banks at a fixed interest rate of 1.5% per annum. Jobs in the tourism sector will be offered to unemployed or unpaid leave workers such as tourism interpreters and guides. Additionally, through Seoul’s representative social networking services (SNS) and overseas media, the image of 'Safe Seoul, a safe tourism city' will be promoted comprehensively to restore tourist demand.

Second, to actively expand domestic and international tourism demand, a 'Parasite' movie tour course will be developed, and the Seoul International Tourism Industry Expo will be held. Support for excellent tourism products and tourism startups will also be increased to invigorate the tourism industry. Mayor Park Won-soon of Seoul plans to actively promote visits to China once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes, continuing marketing efforts in the Chinese market.

Finally, to stabilize and recover the tourism industry, the city plans to elevate the tourism market to the next level based on various revitalization projects. Seoul will actively pursue tourism market diversification policies, expanding global marketing using the Korean Wave (Hallyu) and targeting Asian and Middle Eastern tourism markets. The main goal is to improve the industry’s resilience so that it can respond immediately to crises like the current one and enhance the sustainability of the tourism industry.

Mayor Park Won-soon said, "To minimize the industry's business losses, the Seoul city government will actively implement multifaceted support measures. As soon as the situation calms down, I will be the first to visit China with the spirit of 설중송탄 (雪中送炭, sending charcoal to someone in the snow) to actively attract tourists. Last year, Seoul tourism achieved a record high of 13.9 million foreign tourists. Although we are facing difficult times now, I hope we can overcome this crisis together, turn it into an opportunity, and welcome a warm spring when the Seoul tourism market regains its vitality."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.