Minister Hwang Hee Meets with Tourism Industry, Pledges "Best Efforts to Restore Tourism Market through Travel Bubble"

Hwang Hee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] On the 9th, Hwang Hee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, held a meeting with the tourism industry to successfully promote the Travel Bubble (Safe Travel Zone) and promised to do his best to reopen and recover the international tourism market.

The meeting was attended by 15 representatives from the tourism industry and related organizations, including domestic (inbound) travel agencies from Singapore and the Americas, hotels, national airlines, and experiential tourism companies. The attendees unanimously expressed their hope that the Travel Bubble would serve as an opportunity for the tourism industry, which has suffered great damage due to the spread of COVID-19, to recover.

In the early stages of implementing the Travel Bubble, group tours for those who have completed COVID-19 vaccination will be allowed, and in order to manage quarantine and operate group tour products stably, only products approved as ‘Safe Korea Tour Products’ will be authorized to recruit and operate tourists.

Approval for ‘Safe Korea Tour Products’ can be applied for by travel agencies registered under the Tourism Promotion Act (general travel business) that have no administrative disciplinary history for two years prior to the application announcement date. By submitting an application including the product composition plan, quarantine plan such as designation of a quarantine manager, a pledge to comply with quarantine guidelines, current business status and status of inbound tourism promotion, and information on cooperating travel agencies in the relevant countries, the product can be approved after review. Once approved, the agency can recruit tourists.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in preparation for the reopening of international tourism, has also established ‘Safe Korea Tour Product Guidelines’ in cooperation with the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea Association of Travel Agents to comply with quarantine standards. The safe inbound tourism situation is being rechecked through the UAE medical tourism promotional trip (May 23?28) and the Indonesia incentive tour (June 10?16). In the future, a ‘Korea Inspection Tour’ will be promoted, inviting travel agents, inbound travel planners, media, and influential figures from countries implementing the Safe Travel Zone to verify the stability and attractiveness of safe inbound tourism and to promote and market it.

To assist the tourism industry in preparing for the reopening of international tourism, information on the COVID-19 status by country, including entry and exit conditions of major overseas countries, vaccination rates, and tourism market trends, will also be provided through the Korea Tourism Data Lab.

Minister Hwang said, “This Travel Bubble initiative is the result of joint efforts by the public and private sectors,” and added, “The first condition for reopening tourism is to create Korean tourism as a ‘country where people can travel safely and securely.’”

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