KOREAN NET

Temporary visa-free entry for Chinese tour groups starts on Sept. 29. Shown above are Chinese visitors arriving on Dec. 27, 2024, at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul's Gangseo-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Seon Ah

Temporary visa-free entry for Chinese visitors on group tours starts late next month to raise the number of visitors to the nation and stimulate regional economies.

The Prime Minister's Office on Aug. 6 said this in announcing the results of a meeting of a mini-policy task force for promoting tourism in the country at Government Complex-Seoul chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.

Members of Chinese tour groups from Sept. 29 through June 30 next year can enter the country with no visa.

The Chinese government in November last year had granted visa-free entry to Korean visitors to China. The Korean government went on to hold intergovernmental consultations on reciprocating the measure.

"As the domestic tourism market is rapidly recovering, the visa-free policy is expected to generate further demand for inbound travel and thus have a major effect on boosting domestic consumption including stimulation of regional economies," the office said.

Foreign visitors attending international conferences in Korea can also experience more convenience from a trial "fast track" entry system, which prioritizes immigration clearance for such people. The criteria for an event to get fast track eligibility will be revised so that only 300 international attendees are required, down from 500.

To promote medical tourism, more institutional support will come through the addition of the criterion of "number of foreign patients attracted" when designating outstanding institutes for medical tourism and benefits to entities that meet this condition.

sofiakim218@korea.kr