Yeosu City and Yeosu City Tourism Association Seek to Expand Exchange with Chinese Tourism Industry

Visa-Free Policy for Group Tourists Implemented
Promoting Tourism and the World Island Expo

Yeosu City in South Jeolla Province announced that, together with the Yeosu City Tourism Association, it visited China from December 7 to 10 to conduct joint public-private tourism promotion activities. The delegation promoted Yeosu's major tourism resources and the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, aiming to attract Chinese group tourists.

This visit was organized in response to the implementation of China's visa-free policy for group tourists. The goal was to directly introduce the competitiveness of Yeosu's tourism sector to the local Chinese travel industry and to establish a practical foundation for tourism exchange.

The Yeosu City Tourism Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Hangzhou Travel Agency Association of China for mutual tourism exchange and joint development (Chairman Xu Min of Hangzhou Travel Agency Association (left), Chairman Kim Youngho of Yeosu City Tourism Association (right)). Provided by Yeosu City

During the visit, the Yeosu City Tourism Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Hangzhou Travel Agency Association of China for mutual tourism exchange and joint development. The two associations discussed the development of group tourism products connecting Yeosu and Hangzhou, as well as ways to link these efforts with the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, reaffirming their commitment to cooperation.

Hangzhou became a sister city with Yeosu in 1994. It is the central city of Zhejiang Province in China and is recognized as a leading cultural and tourism city, boasting a rich history, culture, and tourism infrastructure.

More than 30 representatives from major travel agencies in Hangzhou attended the Yeosu tourism presentation, showing strong interest. After the presentation, officials from Yeosu City and the Yeosu City Tourism Association held a meeting with the participants, engaging in meaningful discussions on expanding tourism exchange and cooperation between the two regions.

During the presentation, Yeosu's key tourism policies were introduced, focusing on its marine and island-based natural tourism resources, MICE industry infrastructure, and night tourism content. In particular, the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo was actively promoted, leveraging the recent implementation of China's visa-free policy for group tourists.

Kim Youngho, Chairman of the Yeosu City Tourism Association, stated, "This achievement is significant in that it has established a foundation for tourism exchange based on mutual trust between Yeosu and the Chinese travel industry. Building on this agreement, we will actively support efforts to attract more international tourists to Yeosu."

A city official commented, "We hope this visit to China has served as an opportunity to directly showcase Yeosu's appeal to the local travel industry and enhance its international recognition. We will continue to strengthen overseas promotion and international cooperation in the future."