South Korean President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to enhance regional tourism infrastructure and services to boost the sector as a strategic industry. The goal is to attract 30 million foreign visitors by 2030, with last year seeing a record high of 18.9 million travelers to South Korea.
To achieve the 2030 target, Lee highlighted the importance of significantly improving service quality and strengthening regional infrastructure and tourism content. He stressed the necessity of sharing the benefits of tourism industry growth with commercial districts and small businesses nationwide, rather than being concentrated in Seoul.
Lee underscored the global appeal of Korean culture and called for better integration of the cultural boom with the tourism sector and the broader economy. He urged the government to enhance regional transportation infrastructure, streamline the immigration process, and develop new tourism content utilizing unique regional assets to encourage visitors to explore beyond the capital.
Additionally, Lee emphasized the importance of addressing long-standing complaints from foreign visitors to enhance service quality. He called for addressing issues such as high pricing, poor service, and excessive customer solicitation to improve the overall visitor experience.
Wednesday’s national tourism strategy meeting, attended by President Lee for the first time in seven years, focused on these key areas. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and senior officials from various ministries, along with industry experts including CEO of Hotel Shilla and chairperson of the Visit Korea Committee, Lee Boo-jin, were present.
