The government will expand the tourism infrastructure including duty-free shops while giving incentives to individual tourists
instead of encouraging travel agencies to bring in low-margin group tourists.
Choi Kyoung-hwan, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and the Minister of Strategy and Finance, said in a forum with travel agency leaders on April 24 in Jeju Island, "The government will come up with measures to revive the tourism market by the end of the first half."
"Countries in the world are competing hard to invite in more Chinese tourists. Under these circumstances, it is important for us to build the infrastructure to host more youkers [Chinese tourists] who just began moving overseas," he added. As part of this initiative, the government will move up the date to expand Jeju international airport while newly building a duty-free shop within downtown Jeju. It will simplify the procedure for getting tax refunds for items tourists purchase.
The Deputy Prime Minister promised on the 24th that the value of items to be exempted from document review at the customs to below 50,000-won level from current 10,000 won or below. At the same time, he said, the number of customs officers who will check the tax return documents will be doubled so that the waiting line can be reduced.
Dong Jianfeng, president of Greenland Investment Development Korea, a Korean unit of China's real estate developer Greenland Group which is pushing forward with a plan to build a general hospital in Jeju, said in the forum, "I saw so many ads touting you can travel to Jeju Island for four days at only 250,000 won. The image of Jeju is tarnished by this kind of ads as a cheap destination." To this, the Deputy Prime Minister responded, "The government will discuss the very issue ahead of the May travel season to discourage travel operators from recruiting Chinese tourists at dumping prices."
