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From a fireworks competition in Busan to snow-related actions in Gangwon, South Korea tourism has lined up a bouquet of occasions to woo overseas vacationers this winter, because the sector is on a street to restoration after being badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A high official within the Korea Tourism Group (KTO) mentioned their goal is to have 10 million worldwide arrivals by the top of 2023.
“In line with our official information, 6.5 million overseas vacationers arrived in (South) Korea from January to August this yr, and with an entire calendar of occasions and actions being hosted or deliberate to be held this winter, we’re hopeful of reaching the goal of 10 million,” Jongwong Park, director of Worldwide Cooperation Crew at KTO, informed PTI right here.
Park not too long ago visited India together with a couple of different KTO officers to participate within the forty sixth version of the Pacific Asia Journey Affiliation (PATA) Journey Mart that was hosted at Pragati Maidan in Delhi from October 4 to six. The bodily model of the PATA Journey Mart was held after a hiatus of three years as a result of pandemic.
KTO, the primary tourism physique which capabilities below the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, additionally showcased a fantastic ‘Korea Pavilion’ to draw guests. The design of the pavilion drew components from architectural options of conventional Korean homes — ‘hanok’, temples and different outdated buildings. Park mentioned 2023-2024 is being celebrated as ‘Go to Korea 12 months’ and his dwelling nation is encouraging foreigners to “come to Korea”.
“We now have made a calendar of 100 occasions, for 2023 spilling over to 2024, unfold throughout the nation over completely different seasons. In Korea, we get a lot of vacationers within the winter season. So, lots of ice-related and snow-related actions corresponding to snowboarding, and mountaineering actions have been lined up,” he mentioned. The tourism sector in South Korea and the Asia Pacific area typically is recovering from the large affect of the pandemic and that can in flip, hopefully, carry extra vacationers to South Korea and elsewhere within the area, the KTO official mentioned.
The calendar of occasions — ‘Ok-Tradition Journey Occasions 100’ — additionally mentions the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Video games slated to start from January 19. On October 11, a grand ceremony was held in Seoul to mark the 100-day countdown to what will likely be Asia’s first winter YOG. The KTO calendar features a snow competition in Gangwon Province from November to April 2024. The ‘Gangwon Snow Festa’ will appeal to snow lovers, and winter travellers and the Winter Youth Olympic Video games is predicted to usher in extra vacationers as effectively, the officers mentioned.
Different key occasions on the 100-event calendar embody Incheon Open Port Tradition Night time from October 21-22. In line with the occasions schedule, it was additionally held from August 26-27. In November, Busan metropolis will host a stunning competition — Busan Fireworks Pageant — which will likely be held within the space round Gwangalli Seashore. “Fireworks competition and ice-related actions which will even embody illumination of a set of buildings made from snow which vacationers go to throughout winter are anticipated to attract lots of foreigners this yr after a dismal part for the reason that outbreak of the pandemic,” Park mentioned.
In line with KTO officers, 17.5 million overseas vacationers visited South Korea in 2019, which slumped to 2.5 million in 2020, and plummeted to 0.96 million in 2021, when the world witnessed one of many deadliest phases of the pandemic, the worst for the reason that 1918 Spanish Flu. They mentioned the figures for the yr 2022 for South Korea stood at 3.2 million, and in the course of the January-August interval, 6.5 million overseas vacationers arrived in South Korea, “so, it’s on the restoration trajectory”.
China is among the predominant supply nations from the place South Korea will get overseas vacationers, and the pandemic severely impacted that attributable to extended journey restrictions by the Chinese language authorities, the officers mentioned. South Korea additionally will get overseas vacationers from Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand, moreover nations within the West, amongst others, they mentioned.
Ok-pop, Ok-drama, and Ok-beauty merchandise amongst different components have contributed to folks selecting South Korea as a journey vacation spot, say tourism developments watchers. Nonetheless, overseas journey restrictions and a normal worry amongst folks to journey overseas, led to a “increase in home tourism” in South Korea and Koreans travelled quite a bit from one a part of the nation to a different, Park mentioned.
He mentioned the South Korea tourism calendar has a various vary of actions to select from until the top of this yr, and subsequent yr’s calendar will likely be made primarily based on the vacationer footfall that will likely be registered by the top of 2023.
Daejeon Science Pageant will likely be hosted from October 19-22 and Daejeon Bakery Pageant from October 28-29. Among the many occasions already hosted this yr, embody the Jarasum Jazz Pageant earlier in October and the Jeungpyeong Ginseng Village Pageant which is scheduled to finish on October 15.
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