President Lee Attends Expanded National Tourism Strategy Meeting
First Presidential Attendance in Seven Years Since 2019
"80% of Foreign Tourists Concentrated in Seoul"
"Neighborhood Businesses Nationwide and Local Small Merchants Must Share in the Benefits Together"
President Lee Jaemyung said that, to usher in an era of 30 million foreign tourists by 2030, a major transformation is needed to achieve both quantitative and qualitative growth. He particularly stressed the need to correct the current reality in which foreign tourists are concentrated in Seoul and to completely root out malicious abuses such as price gouging.
Attending the "Expanded National Tourism Strategy Meeting" held at the Blue House on the 25th, President Lee stated, "To throw open the era of 30 million foreign tourists by 2030, we need not only quantitative growth but also a major shift toward qualitative growth," adding, "If we are satisfied with a reality in which 80% of foreign tourists concentrate in Seoul, the growth of the tourism industry will inevitably hit a ceiling."
President Lee emphasized, "Last year, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea reached an all-time high of 18.93 million, and the era of 20 million is just around the corner," but added, "For growth to be sustainable, we must go beyond concentration in the capital area so that neighborhood businesses across the country and local small merchants can share in the benefits together."
He went on to say that the base of domestic tourism should be broadened in order to increase the number of foreign tourists. President Lee said, "There is no reason for foreign tourists to visit places that our own people do not visit," and added, "We need to expand tourism policies like Gangjin County’s half-price travel program, which reduces the burden on travelers while returning the benefits to small business owners." Gangjin’s "half-price travel" is operated by subsidizing 50% of travel costs in the form of local currency (the mobile Gangjinsarang gift certificate).
As implementation tasks for regional expansion, he mentioned the expansion of local airport and cruise infrastructure, as well as improvements to immigration systems. President Lee said, "With the determination to achieve a great transformation of the tourism industry no matter what, the central government and local governments must put their heads together and pool their wisdom," and instructed, "Look into things in detail from the perspective of demand, not from the perspective of suppliers."
At the meeting, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s "Plan for a Great Transformation of Inbound Tourism and a Great Leap Forward in Regional Tourism," the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s "Strategy to Develop Local Airports into Inbound Hubs," the Ministry of Justice’s "Plan to Improve Immigration Convenience," and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ "Improvement of Readiness for Cruise Tourism" were discussed.
In addition, President Lee said that unfair practices in the tourism market must also be eradicated. He stated, "Price gouging, unkind service, and aggressive touting are malicious abuses that turn travelers away," and added, "To realize dignified tourism and sustainable tourism, these must be rooted out in advance without fail."
He also called for channeling the enthusiasm for K-culture into tourism. President Lee said, "The development of the cultural industry triggered by K-culture must ultimately culminate in inbound tourism," adding, "If we do not want this enthusiasm to remain only as cheers on a monitor screen, people around the world must be able to set foot in Korea themselves and experience it firsthand, and only then will it lead to growth and job creation."
The meeting was held under the theme "K-Tourism Embraces the World - Great Transformation of Inbound Tourism, Great Leap Forward in Regional Tourism," and it is reported that about 50 people from the government, the Blue House, and the private sector attended. From the private sector, Lee Boojin, Chairperson of the Visit Korea Committee, was also present. A National Tourism Strategy Meeting attended directly by the president is being held for the first time in seven years since 2019.
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