China banned group tours to Korea.
Part of many visible economic retaliation against Seoul's decision to deploy the THAAD
missile defense system.
Beijing's action hit the local tourism industry hard.
However, Korea has a knack for bouncing back and finding another way in such trying times.
Lee Ji-won introduces to us some of those countermeasures.
Last year, Chinese tourists accounted for nearly 50-percent of the 17-million tourists
that visited Korea.
But with Bejing's ban on tours to Seoul, the local tourism industry has been hard hit,
seeing a 70-percent on-year fall in Chinese tourists last month,.. leading to a 40-percent
drop in the number of foreign tourists overall.
And with heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula aggravating the situation,...
Seoul is expected to face its worst ever tourism deficit of 15-billion U.S. dollars this year.
But Korea has been coming up with various measures to cope with the situation.
The government and related ministries worked to increase flights and cruises in and out
of the country,... and even eased visa regulations.
3-point-4 million dollars has also been allocated to boost transport and shopping,... including
promoting a transportation card with extra benefits and discounts for tourists, and providing
free-wifi at 600 major attractions around the country.
But one of the long-term goals of Korea's tourism industry is to reduce the dependency
on Chinese tourists.
(Korean) "We are focusing our promotional activities
on southern and central Asia, places like Taiwan and Hong Kong, doing things like making
guide books and marketing through social media.
We have also opened offices in Kazakhstan and Mongolia,... which led to a 20 to 30 percent
increase in tourists to Korea."
The organization also launched 'Halal Restaurant Week' on Friday.
With the number of Muslim tourists visiting the country nearing one-million a year,...
the event promotes Muslim-friendly restaurants around the country and gives out discounts
to tourists.
Seoul City has also been working to welcome tourists from southeast Asia.
The city has put up some 50 new information boards and maps with Thai, Vietnamese and
Malay added in tourist hot spots.
The boards previously just had information in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.
One of the boards can be found at Bukchon Hanok Village, home to hundreds of Korea's
traditional houses,... and one of Seoul's major tourist attractions.
(Thai) "We found this information board really helpful
because it tells us what this place is, the significance of this tour spot and where to
look.
I also felt very welcomed to see boards in our own language."
Regional governments and organizations have also worked to promote local attractions.
Gyeonggi-do Province and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization have been inviting bloggers from
southeast Asian countries this year to show around the province that surrounds Korea's
capital.
Bloggers from the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have participated in the program,
and for the month of August, Thai bloggers were invited.
During their 5 day trip, the participants visited tourist attractions and did hands-on
activities like making their own coffee at one of Korea's top coffee manufacturing firms.
(Thai) "Korean brand coffees are very popular in
Thailand,.. and to be able to have a tour of how it's produced, and even try it out
myself, I think is a very special experience that I'd like to recommend to others."
The participants also got to enjoy the view of Suwon city,... from 130 meters above the
ground in a helium balloon.
(Thai) "I'm actually very scared, but I'm trying
to have fun."
(Korean) "We've been looking at the posts that they
uploaded during their stay here, and they've already had loads of likes and shares.
We are hoping this brings in more tourists from these bloggers' countries."
While tour experts say these efforts to diversify the market are needed,... many say more needs
to be done, such as making sure visitors enjoy their stay, feel welcome, and want to revisit
the country.
(Korean) "It's important to create mutual understanding
between the local community and tourists from different cultures.
Tours and tourists are no longer occasional events, but something that will have to be
dealt with in our everyday lives.
And their peaceful coexistence needs more thought and effort over the long-term."
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.