South Korea to offer visa-free entry to Chinese visitors to boost tourism

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Thursday it would offer a visa exemption to Chinese visitors in the third quarter of the year to boost tourism amid sluggish domestic demand and ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit later this year.

The move comes after China's decision last November to extend visa-free entry to nationals from South Korea and other Asian and European countries travelling for business, tourism and family visits until the end of this year.

"We will introduce in the third quarter a temporary visa waiver for group tourists from China to speed up the recovery in the number of Chinese visitors," said Choi Sang-mok, the country's acting president.

South Korea is scheduled to host a summit of leaders from 21 economies for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the fourth quarter of this year in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, known for heritage tourism.

Last year, 16.4 million travellers visited South Korea, up 48% from a year earlier and compared with 17.5 million in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese nationals made up the biggest share, accounting for 28%, according to government data.

Out of this total, nearly a third were women in their 20s and 30s.

South Korean popular culture ranging from K-pop music to fashion has gained global recognition in the last few decades, and authorities plan to try and leverage this further.

The government will also prepare additional measures aimed at attracting more tourists, such as tailored tour packages for Korean food and beauty products in a bid to attract 18.5 million visitors this year.

South Korea's economic growth is expected to slow this year, with consumer spending remaining weak amid persistent political uncertainty triggered by the brief and unexpected imposition of martial law last December, which also had an impact on foreign tourism.

(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Ed Davies)