S. Korea to Extend Visa Fee Waiver for Group Tourists from 6 Nations, Including India

SEOUL:
South Korea will extend the waiver on visa processing fees for an additional six months for group tourists from six countries, including China, the finance chief said on Wednesday.

Under the plan announced by Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, the fee exemption for C-3-2 visas, which was originally set to expire on Wednesday, will continue until the end of June next year, reports Yonhap news agency.

The six countries covered by the extension are China, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia.

Koo said the plan is “to maintain momentum in inbound tourism.” Currently, processing fees for C-3-2 visas are set at 18,000 won (US$12.46).

Meanwhile, the number of foreign visitors to South Korea rose sharply in November, climbing 17.3 per cent from a year earlier as the country’s tourism sector continues to recover to pre-pandemic levels, official data showed.

According to figures from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), about 1.6 million foreign tourists visited in November, up from 1.36 million a year ago and 9.6 percent higher than the same month in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

China remained the largest source of visitors with 378,000 arrivals, followed by Japan at 363,000, Taiwan at 158,000, the United States at 133,000 and the Philippines at 60,000, reports Yonhap news agency.

While the number of Chinese tourists recovered to around 75 percent of 2019 levels, Japanese tourist arrivals surged 40.4 percent compared with the same period that year.

From January to November, South Korea welcomed 17.42 million foreign tourists, a 15.4 percent increase from the same period last year and 8.6 percent above 2019 levels, the KTO said. Visitors from China accounted for 29.2 percent, or about 5.09 million, of the total.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism projected the annual number of foreign visitors to surpass 18.7 million this year, setting a new all-time high and nearing the symbolic 20 million mark.