Korea hosts 'Welcome Week' to attract tourists during China's National Day holiday

The Korean government is hosting tourist promotional events at international hubs to coincide with China's National Day holiday.

President and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Lee Hag-jae, speaks during the opening ceremony of "Welcome Week" in April. [YONHAP]

The Korean government is hosting tourist promotional events at international hubs to coincide with China's National Day holiday.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Local Treasures of Korea announced on Thursday that they are organizing "Welcome Week" from Thursday to Oct. 11 at Gimpo and Jeju international airports, the Port International Passenger Terminal and International Cruise Terminal in Busan and Gangnam Square in Seoul to celebrate China’s seven-day National Day holiday starting on Oct. 1.

The opening ceremony took place on Thursday at Jeju International Airport, where Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Jang Mi-ran, and actor Jin Seo-yeon greeted international tourists.

Throughout Welcome Week, Jeju and Gimpo airports will feature welcome booths offering souvenirs from the National Museum of Korea and winning entries from the 2023 Korea Tourist Souvenir Contest until Oct. 11.

Visitors to these booths will receive information about Korea's tourism benefits — including shopping and transportation — as well as details on local attractions, dining and shopping.

At Gangnam Square in southern Seoul, K-pop dance experience events will be held, along with souvenir giveaways from Oct. 1 to 10.

The Busan National Gugak Center will perform at Busan Port International Passenger Terminal on Oct. 13 and 29.

About 120,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit Korea during the upcoming National Day holiday, representing an 85 percent recovery compared to the period before Covid-19 in 2019 and a 150 percent increase on year.

To attract Chinese tourists during this period, the Culture Ministry and Korea Tourism Organization are collaborating with online travel agencies like Airbnb and Klook to develop joint products focusing on themes such as college students, autumn and regional tourism, while also establishing dedicated spaces for these themes.

A promotional booth will also be established in Myeong-dong — the largest tourist destination for Chinese visitors in central Seoul — in collaboration with Alipay to create a welcoming atmosphere through receipt certification events, discount vouchers and photo booths from Friday to Oct. 10.

“As the Korean tourism market revitalizes, we will continue to leverage K-pop, food, sports and other unique K-content to enhance the travel experience for both Koreans and foreigners,” said Jang. “We will also assess the capacity of tourist destinations and related systems nationwide to ensure that any tourism inconveniences are addressed.”

Welcome Week previously ran from April 26 to May 10 at Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju international airports, aligning with major holidays in neighboring countries, including China’s Labor Day and Japan’s Golden Week.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]