Tourism Industry Resuscitation... Government Aims to Restore Pre-COVID-19 Levels by End of Next Year

Safe Travel Promotion, Domestic Tourism Market to Recover to Pre-COVID-19 Levels by End of Next Year
4,500km 'Koreadulle-gil', Development of Healing Travel Destinations Including Southern Region Tourism
Gradual Resumption of Inbound Tourism, Overseas Marketing Based on Hallyu Content
Goal to Attract 25 Million Foreign Tourists by 2025

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee is giving a briefing on the "Tourism Industry Recovery and Relaunch Plan" on the 12th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The government is taking steps to expand tourism demand by supporting the tourism industry. Next year's tourism fund loans are set at 649 billion KRW, an increase of 55 billion KRW from this year, and repayment deferrals will be granted to companies with principal repayments due next year to support the recovery of the tourism industry. Additionally, the 4,500 km walking trail, ‘Korea Dullegil,’ is scheduled to be completed by next year. Through this, a new southern region tourism development linking Gwangju, Jeolla, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do will be promoted, along with various tourism marketing initiatives.

On the 12th at 10 a.m., the government held a National Policy Issue Inspection and Coordination Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum to discuss the ‘Plan for Recovery and Re-advancement of the Tourism Industry through Safe Travel,’ which includes these measures.

The primary goals are threefold: recovery of the tourism market, increase in foreign tourists, and regional dispersion of tourists. The number of travel days per person is planned to expand to 13 days annually by 2022, returning to pre-COVID levels. The number of foreign tourists is targeted to reach 25 million by 2025. For reference, the highest record to date is 17.5 million. The rate of foreign visitors traveling to local regions is set at 60% by 2025, which is higher than the previous record of 50.9%.

First, to recover damages in the tourism industry, a special loan of 100 billion KRW, double this year’s budget, will be provided to small and medium tourism businesses. Furthermore, the loan principal repayment deferral, which began in 2020, will continue next year, and some financial costs will be reduced throughout the year.

To promote safe domestic travel, thorough quarantine measures will be implemented. The government will deploy 3,000 quarantine personnel to major tourist sites nationwide. Safety inspection fees for amusement facilities will be supported at 50%, and hotel rating evaluations will be postponed until June next year. In November, designated as ‘Travel Month,’ numerous tourism-related fairs such as the ‘NaeNara Travel Expo,’ ‘Tourism Industry Job Fair,’ ‘Wellness Festa,’ ‘Cruise Travel Mart,’ and ‘Tourism Connection Week’ will be held.

Inbound tourism will also gradually resume. Starting from the 15th, quarantine-free travel will restart beginning with Singapore, followed by phased quarantine exemptions for countries with stable quarantine situations. The number of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will also be gradually reduced. Additionally, tourism routes linked to Hallyu content such as BTS and ‘Squid Game’ will be developed and commercialized.

For smart tourism, the first intelligent tourism city launched in August in the Incheon Open Port area will be expanded to 10 locations nationwide by next year. Moreover, from next year, intelligent shopping services allowing travelers to receive purchased goods at their desired date and location will be expanded. A ‘Korea Tourism Universe’ will also be established on an extended virtual world (metaverse) platform, featuring major Korean tourist sites and filming locations of movies and dramas to attract inbound tourists’ interest.

Hwang Hee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, “We will first restore the urgent domestic tourism market through industry damage support and market revitalization, and gradually normalize inbound tourism. By 2025, we aim to attract 25 million foreign tourists and enhance the appeal of Korean tourism so that foreign visitors can travel not only in Seoul but throughout the country.”

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