Seoul is planning target Southeast Asian visitors to boost tourism to make up for the continuing slack in the number of Chinese tourists.
The number of Chinese tourists, which used to take up more than 50 percent of total inbound tourists, dropped by almost half in early 2017 after tensions erupted between the two countries over Korea’s deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The figure has rebounded slightly this year.
Rhee Jae-sung, the president of the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) said that from the information, they got through their Beijing office, the Chinese authorities’ tourist travel ban on Korea has been lifted in Beijing, Qingdao and Wuhan. But the big travel agencies that bring large groups of tourists are still waiting for a clear approval from the Chinese government.
He also added the recent ebb in Chinese tourists gave the organization a chance to redefine its long term goals. As a part of this plan, the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) pledged to host multi-party discussions with residents and tour agencies, over solutions for “over-tourism” problems in neighborhoods such as the Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul.
The Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) also plans to concentrate on domestic tourism more, in line with Koreans’ increased leisure time following the adoption of the 52-hour workweek. It will start by offering its Discover Seoul Pass – giving access to all of the main tour sites – to Koreans next year. The pass has been so far available only for foreign visitors.
Tags: Asia, beijing, china, Seoul, Seoul Tourism Organization
