SEOUL, May 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Travel agencies are frustrated over low reservation rates despite soaring demand for foreign travel, and they are blaming their difficulties on what they say are excessive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea. Currently, foreign travel requires a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test prior to departure, [...]
SEOUL, May 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Demand for overseas travel is recovering as the government has lifted various quarantine policies including social distancing measures. Hana Tour Inc., South Korea’s top travel agency, reported 1,272 honeymoon reservations last month, accounting for up to 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Reservations have jumped more than tenfold since February [...]
SEOUL, May 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean national flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. said Wednesday it will extend the suspension of its Russian routes until any new positive development happens in the Russia-Ukraine war. In March, Korean Air said it will halt the operation of passenger jets to Moscow and Vladivostok, and cargo [...]
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The incoming government of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to spend 3 trillion won (US$2.37 billion) for five years from next year to help rehabilitate the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, the transition team said Monday. The new government will boost the post-COVID-19 [...]
SEOUL, April 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The annual nighttime tours of Changdeok Palace, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Seoul, will begin next week, the cultural heritage authorities said Tuesday. The 100-minute nocturnal tour of the ancient palace will run from April 21 through June 12, four times a day from every Thursday [...]
WASHINGTON, April 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea, became the world’s second-busiest cargo airport in 2021, up one notch from the previous year, a trade body said Monday. Incheon International Airport handled 3.23 million tons of international cargo, up 18.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Airports [...]
JEJU, April 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Tourist arrivals on the southern resort island of Jeju climbed 37.4 percent so far this year compared to a year ago amid increased efforts to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, industry data showed Monday. According to the Jeju Tourism Association, 3.45 million visitors arrived on Jeju from Jan. 1 to [...]
SUWON, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, will begin a tourism promotion campaign that will offer up to a 75 percent discount to foreign nationals visiting its popular destinations, officials said Thursday. The discount program is organized by the local government and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization as the nation’s most populous province [...]
JEJU, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite an increasing number of tourists returning to South Korea’s southern Jeju Island for tourism, their level of satisfaction continues to go downhill as the pandemic drags on, a survey showed Wednesday. The Jeju Tourism Organization conducted a survey of 500 people each month during last year except for [...]
JEJU, April 6 (Korea Bizwire) — The southern island of Jeju is moving to resume its visa waiver program for international travelers, which has been suspended for the past two years during the pandemic, officials said Wednesday. Jeju Province officials have recently visited the culture, land and justice ministries and requested they discuss the reinstatement [...]