More foreigners flock to S.Korean ski resorts

By Oh Seok-min

CHUNCHEON, South Korea, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- With the ski season in full swing, an increasing number of foreign tourists are visiting local ski resorts this year, a provincial government said Tuesday.

According to the Gangwon provincial government, the number of foreign tourists
who visited nine ski resorts in the province rose by 18.3 percent in the period
from November last year through January this year, with the total number reaching
168,000, up from 142,000 during the same months a year ago.
The mountainous region of Gangwon harbors the largest number of ski resorts in
South Korea and becomes the No. 1 tourist destination in the country in winter.
This increase is due largely to the nation's growing popularity among the
Southeast Asian tourists who want to enjoy winter sports out of their countries.
The number of visitors from Hong Kong amounted to 49,000, followed by 38,000 and
24,000 from Singapore and Taiwan, respectively. The number of tourists from
Thailand and Indonesia reached 19,000 and 11,000 respectively.
The provincial government said the increase rate is expected to rise further
during this winter to become 20 percent over the winter season a year ago, as the
number of foreigners who booked rooms in the resorts already reached 28,000 this
month.
"We strive to come up with diverse plans to attract more foreign tourists," said
Kim Hak-cheol, director of the Environment, Tourism and Culture Department in the
provincial government. "We will provide various tour packages for foreigners this
year, and find ways to lure more tourists from such countries as India and
Australia."
graceoh@yna.co.kr
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