Northstar

TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA O F F I C I A L D A I L I E S www.travelweekly-asia.com 8 26 October 2017 Thanks to political tensions, South Korea's visitor numbers from China have plunged by nearly 50% in the year to date, accounting for only 32.7% of total visitor numbers compared to 46.8% in 2016. However, the country has already been strengthening its promotional campaigns in other regions. This year, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) entered into a partnership with ITB Asia to target Southeast Asian travellers. KTO also signed a contract with eight international travel agencies in Singapore to launch the Korea Tourism Alliance, as a means to attract more high-end tourists from the region. With food being one of the top concerns for Muslim tourists from the Middle East and Southeast Asia, All eyes on the prize the government has been working to promote the availability of Muslim- friendly food and facilities. Now in its second year, Halal Restaurant Week Korea – which is in fact two months long – will promote over 200 Halal-certified and Muslim-friendly restaurants throughout the country with discount coupons and special offers from participating retailers. In May, the self-governing province of Jeju began offering electronic visa processing and 15- day visa-free entry for tour groups from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. On the ground "The government is developing infrastructure for Muslims and more Halal restaurants are opening these days. I can't say we are fully ready Lotte World Tower is the world's fifth-largest skyscraper at 1,819ft high and features a 7-star hotel By Brooke Thio With a goal to welcome 20 million international visitors by 2020, South Korea is pulling out all the stops to woo tourists from beyond East Asia PHOT0 CREDIT: ISTOCK The Signiel Seoul hotel has opened at Lotte World Tower, the country's tallest building. Offering panoramic views of the city, the 235-room ultra-luxury property also features Asia's largest champagne bar and the Michelin-starred BICENA restaurant. Jeju Island is known for its mountains and beaches, but its lush inland region is becoming the next hotspot for tourists. The Kim Kyung Sook Sunflower Farm, for instance, boasts a field of 750,000 sunflowers, while walking the Saryeoni Forest Trail is reputed to have healing effects as the trees emit immunity- enhancing phytoncides. To entice travellers beyond bigger cities like Seoul and Busan, national railroad operator Korail has made its Korail Pass more convenient to use. Pass holders can now purchase train tickets and make seat selections through the KORAIL website up to 30 days in advance without having to visit the train station. Hot Numbers 17,241,823 international visitor arrivals in 2016 25,784 rooms from 137 hotels in the pipeline for Seoul alone 2,000 rooms from five new hotels will add to the inventory in Pyeongchang, to be completed by end 2017 for the 2018 Winter Olympics 997 international meetings held in South Korea in 2016, according to the Union of International Associations (UIA) International Meetings Statistics Report //////MUST-GO to cater to Muslim customers, but I am sure we will become a Muslim- friendly tourist destination in the near future." - Jingi Hwang, CEO, Core Travel, South Korea In catering to the growing FIT segment, HanaTour has launched shuttle buses that take travellers from Seoul to various provincial attractions. "South Korea is considered a mature destination, and many visitors prefer to customise their trip. (With the shuttle buses) they can visit four or five attractions in one province, like Gyeonggi, that would otherwise be quite hard to get to." - Eileen Lim, Global Team Manager, HanaTour Pte Ltd

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