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| This photo shows the bustling shopping district of Myeongdong in central Seoul, May 14. Yonhap |
The culture ministry said Thursday it will launch efforts to lure more Chinese tourists in earnest following the resumption of China's group tours to Korea.
Earlier in the day, Beijing lifted its COVID-19 pandemic ban on group tours to 78 countries, including Korea, the United States and Japan.
The measure, in particular, will resume group tours to Korea for the first time in about six years. China had barred group tours to Korea since March 2017 in apparent retaliation for the country's deployment of the U.S.-made Terminal-High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
"We expect the resumption of Chinese group tours will bring new vitality to the country's tourism industry hit hard by the pandemic as well as the aviation and distribution industries," Park Bo-gyoon, minister of culture, sports and tourism, said in a release.
The ministry vowed to pool the resources of the public and private sectors to lure as many Chinese tourists as possible as Korea also marks the 2023-2024 Visit Korea Year.
The ministry has made various efforts to lure Chinese tourists since early this year, toughening requirements for tourism agencies specializing in China in March and resuming a no-visa transfer system for Chinese group tourists on Korea's southern resort island of Jeju two months later.
The government also plans to open new visa application centers in Beijing and Shenyang to make it more convenient for Chinese people applying for a visa.
In July, China ranked No. 1 among foreign countries sending tourists to Korea with an estimated 240,000 people visiting. (Yonhap)
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