Tourism Industries of Korea and China on the Brink of Collapse... Expo Held in 10 Cities Including Beijing

Tourism Losses Exceed 9 Trillion Won Due to COVID-19, China Faces Similar Situation
Fostering Digital and Smart Tourism and Content is Key to Competitiveness

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] For the first time since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), a Korea-China tourism exchange event was held in Beijing, the capital of China.

The Korea Tourism Organization held the 'Online Korea Tourism Expo' on the 15th at the NUO Hotel in Chaoyang District, Beijing.

The Korea Tourism Organization held the 'Online Korea Tourism Expo' on the 15th at the Nuu Hotel in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. Participants are taking a commemorative photo. (Photo by Korea Tourism Organization Beijing Office)

This event is part of the '2020 Korea Tourism Virtual Fair 2020,' held from the 12th to the 16th by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization to open overseas markets for the tourism industry, which has been shrinking due to COVID-19.

Starting from the 12th, the event is being held sequentially in 10 major cities in the Chinese-speaking region, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Chengdu, Wuhan, Qingdao, Xi'an, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Taipei).

The Beijing event was conducted both online and offline, with about 150 people attending on the first day. Approximately 150 people participated in offline consultations.

In a video congratulatory message, Ahn Young-bae, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "The Korea Tourism Online Expo is a signal that the tourism industry is overcoming COVID-19 and will serve as a platform for the industries of both countries to discuss the post-COVID era together. It is also meaningful in terms of encouraging each other."

Dai Bin, Director of the China Tourism Academy, said in a video speech, "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, tourism exchanges have continuously grown thanks to geographical proximity, cultural similarities, and political trust, but we have encountered the unexpected challenge of COVID-19. The more tourism exchanges face difficulties, the more we need to strengthen cultural exchanges between Korea and China."

He added, "Future tourism will extensively utilize internet technology," emphasizing, "We must further foster digital culture and smart tourism."

The Korea Tourism Organization held the 'Online Korea Tourism Expo' on the 15th at the Nuu Hotel in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. The event was held both online and offline. Chinese buyers are having video consultations with Korean travel agencies. (Photo by Korea Tourism Organization Beijing Office)

Yoo Jin-ho, head of the Korea Tourism Organization's Beijing office, said, "Chinese tourists contribute greatly to Korea's overall tourism industry, and their spending on shopping and other consumption is significantly higher than that of tourists from other countries, so the Korean tourism industry absolutely needs China. We must maintain human networks and secure the Chinese market ahead of competing countries such as Japan, Singapore, and Southeast Asia."

Last year, about 17.5 million foreigners visited Korea, of which approximately 6.02 million were Chinese tourists. Due to COVID-19 and the effective closure of borders, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea as of the end of September dropped by 81.9% to about 2.31 million. The estimated damage to Korea's tourism industry due to COVID-19 is about 9 trillion won as of the end of September.

The Chinese travel industry is also facing difficulties due to COVID-19. Since overseas tourism bookings are impossible, overseas sales are virtually zero.

Su Dongqi, Deputy Director of Beijing International Travel Service, said, "This is the most difficult time in my 40 years in the travel industry. However, since the COVID-19 situation in Korea is improving and such an expo is being held in Korea, there is a small hope."

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