SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Middle Eastern tourists were the biggest spenders among foreigners who visited South Korea last year, with their average per capita spending reaching US$2,231.70, a local poll showed Wednesday. According to the 2017 International Visitor Survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the figure is down from [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has high hopes that halal food will help breathe new vitality into the local tourism industry hit hard by a sharp drop in Chinese visitors over the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system here. Easy access to specially prepared food can address one of the [...]
BUYEO CITY, Aug. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Government approval for a slaughterhouse in the Muslim religious tradition of “halal” has seen local Christian groups up in arms in Buyeo City of South Chungcheong Province. According to the Buyeo City Office, the district’s association of Christian denominations has over the past few weeks voiced its opposition to the [...]
SEOUL, March 28 (Korea Bizwire) – Diversifying South Korea’s repertoire of visitors amid continued threats from China, the Korea Tourism Organization is planning to attract 1.2 million tourists from Muslim countries this year, up from what was roughly 980,000 in 2016. Last year’s number was a 33-percent increase from 2015. Of the visitors, 740,000 were [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – A rising number of five-star hotels in Seoul are offering halal foods in their restaurants to attract Muslim guests, a small but growing market, industry officials said Monday. The local travel and hospitality industry has sought ways to enhance convenience for a growing influx of Muslim tourists on the [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea will host a medical tourism exhibition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lure more Middle Eastern patients in need of advanced treatment, the state-run tourism agency said Monday. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will co-host the “Korea International [...]
SEOUL, June 23 (Korea Bizwire) – Middle Eastern people who visit South Korea for medical treatments are most dissatisfied with the quality of Islamic foods provided by local hospitals, a poll showed Thursday. According to the survey taken by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, Muslim patients who visited South Korea last year gave local [...]
SEOUL, April 5 (Korea Bizwire) – A large-scale Muslim tour group is set to arrive in South Korea next week following the recent visit by the largest-ever tour group from China, mirroring Muslims’ growing interest in the country, industry sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, some 200 employees of Malaysian firm Zhulian Group are planning [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s state-run food agency said Wednesday it has launched a mobile application that provides details of local halal restaurants, in line with its efforts to attract more Muslim tourists. The app, “HALAL Korea,” provides various information related to halal foodstuffs in South Korea, including locations of restaurants and [...]
DAEGU, Sept. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – Jukjeon Elementary School is providing school lunches that are customized for students from Muslim families. For the five Muslim students attending the school, a different menu has been prepared since May, with pork replaced by eggs or beans. Faculty at the school explained the reason for the change. “There were [...]