500,000 Chinese Tourists Visit S. Korea This Year

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 20, 2001

500,000 Chinese Tourists Visit S. Korea This Year

Authorities at Incheon International Airport said the number of passengers traveling between the two countries increased by 18 percent over last year. They estimated that 500,000 Chinese tourists visited South Korea this year, up 40 percent from 2000.

Flights between Korea and China are increasing as the 2002 soccer World Cup draws near. Korean Air will open new routes between Incheon and Kunming on Dec. 10 and Incheon and Wuhan on Dec. 12.

Korean Air opened four new China routes in July, including a flight between Cheongju, North Chungcheong province and Beijing. The domestic carrier now operates 15 flights between Korea and China compared to nine last year.

Asiana Airlines opened three new routes including one between Incheon and Nanjing. The airline now operates 16 flights to and from China.

Authorities at Incheon International Airport said the number of passengers traveling between the two countries increased by 18 percent over last year. They estimated that 500,000 Chinese tourists visited South Korea this year, up 40 percent from 2000.

Travel agents attributed the jump to the huge popularity of Korean entertainers in China.

The number of Chinese tourists is expected to increase even more; China's national soccer team qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and China has become a member of the World Trade Organization; its membership should spur economic growth.

To take advantage of the increase, Korean Air is providing new tours in conjunction with a state-run Chinese travel agency. Asiana Airlines is also planning to operate package tours in concert with Korea National Tourism Organization that include tickets to World Cup matches, tours of the World Cup stadiums and ski tours.

The official added that the government should help the airlines to attract Chinese tourists with measures such as visa waivers and allowing more flights of the two countries through government-level agreements.