The number of overseas tourists who visit Korea has exceeded 12 million for the first time. A special event was held to mark the arrival of the 12 millionth tourist to visit Korea in 2013 at Jeju International Airport on December 27.

Vice Minister Cho Hyun-jae of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and Governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Woo Keun-min welcomed Chinese traveler Ma Jiao by offering him a wreath, a harubang, a traditional Jeju stone statue, and an appreciation plaque. Ma Jiao said he visited Seoul in 2010 and that this was his second visit to Korea.

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Vice Minister Cho Hyun-jae (fourth from left) of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chinese traveler Ma Jiao (center) and Governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Woo Keun-min pose for photos during an event to welcome the arrival of the 12 millionth tourist to visit Korea in 2013 at Jeju International Airport on December 27. (Photo courtesy of the MCST)

 

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Vice Minister Cho Hyun-jae (fifth from left), Chinese traveler Ma Jiao (center), Governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Woo Keun-min and other officials attend the welcoming event at Jeju International Airport on December 27. (Photo courtesy of the MCST)

 

“Unlike popular tourist destinations in Europe or Asia where people can travel largely by land, Korea is surrounded by sea on three sides, which requires them to enter the country by sea or air. Despite such difficulties, Korea has proven its competitiveness in tourism by achieving such a remarkable outcome,” said Vice Minister Cho Hyun-jae. Cho added that the government will make an effort so that overseas tourists who visit Korea wish to come again.

“Overseas tourists who visit Jeju-do (Jeju Island) during their trip to Korea rose to 20 percent this year from eight percent five years ago,” said Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min. “To minimize tourism inconveniences, we will equip the province with upgraded infrastructure that can match global standards and focus on supporting strategic sectors, such as the cruise industry, medical tourism and the MICE industries: meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions,” Woo said.

The number of overseas tourists who visited Korea in one year hit one million in 1978, five million in 2000 and ten million in November 2012. This rapid increase has largely been due to Chinese tourists. From January to November this year, more than four million Chinese tourists visited Korea, showing a 53 percent increase over that period last year. Mainland Chinese account for the largest number of overseas travelers to Korea, followed by the Japanese. Amongst them, 1.75 million, or 43 percent of all Chinese travelers, traveled to Jeju Island during their Korean trip. The number of overseas tourists who visited the island surpassed two million this year for the first time, which shows the island province’s popularity as a tourism destination.

According to United Nations World Tourism Organization statistics, as of 2012 Korea ranked 23rd in the world in its number of inbound tourists, and sixth in the Asia-Pacific region. Among the top 25 countries in the world for inbound tourism, Korea showed a 61.7 percent growth rate over the past five years, from 2008 to 2012, showing the highest rate of growth in the world.

The Korean government has put in place various policies aimed at offering comfortable travel experiences to overseas tourists. In order to assure more accommodation facilities, the government has allowed small-sized hotel businesses, and eased regulations on hostel locations.

Also, it has introduced a tourism police force with foreign language training aimed at cracking down on illegal activities that target foreign tourists. A total of 101 so-called tourism police, fluent in either English, Mandarin or Japanese, have been dispatched across seven major attractions in Seoul. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, they have solved about 7,000 civil complaints since their introduction 50 days ago. 

 

 

[Source: Korea.net]