ID :
90661
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 10:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/90661
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S. Korea to ease investment rules, entry procedures for tourists
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea announced Friday plans to ease domestic investment rules and foreign entry procedures with the aim of tripling inbound tourism by 2020.
Although the country's tourism sector has held up well despite the economic
crisis -- the number of overseas travelers increased 15 percent this year --
Culture Minister Yu In-chon said new strategies are needed to continue to boost
tourism and stimulate investment.
President Lee Myung-bak met with Yu and other culture ministry officials Friday
to discuss ways to come up with a plan to pursue those goals. They decided to
lower land lending prices by up to 30 percent for firms developing
tourism-oriented facilities and give permits for new duty-free shops in the
cities of Daegu and Yeosu, where international festivals are scheduled to be
held, the ministry said.
South Korea also wants to reform its "leisure culture" by encouraging government
officials to use up their yearly vacations, and will launch programs supporting
in-country tours for the disabled and low-income families.
For Chinese travelers, who take up a large proportion of foreign visitors to
Korea, the government plans to work on simplifying entry requirements and
ultimately set up a visa waiver program.
Korea's Jeju Island saw the number of Chinese tourists increase by more than five
times last year from 2005 after it set up a visa waiver program. Nearly 1.2
million people from China visited Korea overall last year.
South Korea will also build new youth hostels and sports leisure centers near its
four major rivers, in line with an ongoing multi-billion-dollar project to dredge
the rivers and create new parks along them, the culture ministry said.
Coinciding with its 2010-2012 "Visit Korea" campaign, the government will hold
seven large cultural events, including the Korean Wave Festival and the Global
Food and Tourism Festival.
Through such plans, South Korea hopes to increase its tourist revenue to US$30
billion annually from the current $9 billion, and increase the number of visitors
to 20 million from the current 7 million by 2020.
hayney@yna.co.kr
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea announced Friday plans to ease domestic investment rules and foreign entry procedures with the aim of tripling inbound tourism by 2020.
Although the country's tourism sector has held up well despite the economic
crisis -- the number of overseas travelers increased 15 percent this year --
Culture Minister Yu In-chon said new strategies are needed to continue to boost
tourism and stimulate investment.
President Lee Myung-bak met with Yu and other culture ministry officials Friday
to discuss ways to come up with a plan to pursue those goals. They decided to
lower land lending prices by up to 30 percent for firms developing
tourism-oriented facilities and give permits for new duty-free shops in the
cities of Daegu and Yeosu, where international festivals are scheduled to be
held, the ministry said.
South Korea also wants to reform its "leisure culture" by encouraging government
officials to use up their yearly vacations, and will launch programs supporting
in-country tours for the disabled and low-income families.
For Chinese travelers, who take up a large proportion of foreign visitors to
Korea, the government plans to work on simplifying entry requirements and
ultimately set up a visa waiver program.
Korea's Jeju Island saw the number of Chinese tourists increase by more than five
times last year from 2005 after it set up a visa waiver program. Nearly 1.2
million people from China visited Korea overall last year.
South Korea will also build new youth hostels and sports leisure centers near its
four major rivers, in line with an ongoing multi-billion-dollar project to dredge
the rivers and create new parks along them, the culture ministry said.
Coinciding with its 2010-2012 "Visit Korea" campaign, the government will hold
seven large cultural events, including the Korean Wave Festival and the Global
Food and Tourism Festival.
Through such plans, South Korea hopes to increase its tourist revenue to US$30
billion annually from the current $9 billion, and increase the number of visitors
to 20 million from the current 7 million by 2020.
hayney@yna.co.kr
