The RoK government has unveiled a strategy titled “A major transformation in national tourism and a leap forward for regional tourism,” which includes relaxed visa rules for China and 10 Southeast Asian countries, along with expanded international air routes at domestic airports. The plan aims to attract 30 million foreign visitors, compared with 19 million recorded last year, according to the Chosun Daily.

Under the new policy, travellers from the 11 countries who have previously visited the Republic of Korea will be eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas.

In addition, residents of 14 Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, and three Vietnamese cities, including Hanoi, will see the validity of multiple-entry visas extended from five to up to 10 years. Details on the full list of cities and implementation timeline have not been announced.

For Indonesia, a pilot visa waiver programme will apply to groups of three or more travellers. The decision is based on relatively low visitor numbers from Indonesia compared with its population, despite strong growth in outbound tourism.

To tackle the imbalance, with 81.7% of international visitors staying in Seoul, the government also plans to support regional tourism.

International flights to regional airports will be expanded, while domestic connections will increased to facilitate travel from Incheon International Airport to other destinations across the country.

RoK extends visa fee waiver for group tourists from Vietnam

VOV.VN - The Republic of Korea (RoK) will extend the free processing of C-3-2 short-term group tourist visas for visitors from six countries, including Vietnam, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol announced on December 31.