Tag Archives: South Korea

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) introduces K-incentive Scheme 2.0, rewarding  Indian travel agents, who promote tourism in South Korea. The initiative offers prizes and expedites tour visas to boost Indian arrivals in the country. South Korea expects Indian arrivals to rise to 2 lakh in 2024 after the introduction of this initiative.

South Korea has announced that starting 8 June 2022, all international travellers to Korea are not required to quarantine regardless of their vaccination status. COVID-19 testing will still be in effect, making it necessary for travelers to submit a negative COVID-19 test result. Travellers must do a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test before departing to Korea.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) will conduct a destination presentation on Friday, September 4 at 11am that will have a special focus on the Gyeonggi region. Along with KTO, the webinar will also have representatives from Gyeonggi Tourism Organization and a DMC joining in from Korea for product updates. Young Geul Choi, Deputy Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office, says, “Each region of South Korea has its own unique feature and characteristic. To bring a better understanding of each special region, we decided to conduct a destination presentation with a special focus on the Gyeonggi region, located close to Seoul. A trip to Seoul without a trip to the nearby Gyeonggi region would surely be incomplete. Gyeonggi province is home to landmark attractions like the DMZ, Everland theme park and Hwaseong Fortress among others. With this webinar, travel agents can add more value to their South Korea itineraries tours and recommend it as the first choice once travel between India and South Korea resumes.” To sign up, contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

VFS Global is re-opening Visa Application Centres in some cities for specific visa categories. Countries for which visa services will resume are United Kingdom (from July 6), Italy (July 3), UAE, Turkey, Ireland, Belarus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Norway, Portugal and South Korea. Applicants will have to schedule an appointment in advance on www.vfsglobal.com. After specific Embassies/Consulates as well as local authorities have given their approval, VFS Global’s centres will accept visa applications for select countries with strict health and hygiene SOPs in place.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is planning to promote night tour programs in cooperation with local governments to help the tourism industry recover at the earliest possible date, once the pandemic comes to an end. The organization said Korea has a good environment for developing night tours as it is known for its safe streets and 24-hour stores. In mid-February, the KTO began researching the night tour content of each region, with an aim of choosing and announcing 100 recommended programs on April 20. The KTO plans to produce a night tour directory in Korean in mid-April and will also host a night tour international forum in June.

FCM Travel Solutions and KPMG’s recent whitepaper titled ‘Redefining Corporate Travel Management’ forecasts that the total market for business travel in India is projected to grow at an annual rate of 11.5 per cent and a spend of up to USD 46 billion in 2019. In the past year, rise in annual growth of business travel spend for India has been the highest among the top 15 business travel markets globally. Consequently, India surpassed South Korea to reach seventh position in the top 15 business travel markets (by spend) globally and is projected to be in the top five by 2022. It is forecasted to be one of the fastest growing markets over the next five years, growing at the rate of 12.5 per cent over the forecasted period.

India has decided to offer visa on arrival to South Korean nationals, a home ministry official said. Like the Japanese nationals (who have been getting the privilege since March 2016), the facility to South Korean citizens include double entry visit for a period not exceeding 60 days for business, tourism, conference and medical purposes for entry through six designated international airports – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. According to an estimate, around 2 lakh Indian visas are issued to South Korean nationals every year, of which 80 per cent are tourists. On an average, 600 South Korean nationals arrive in Delhi daily. Though visa-on-arrival facility was earlier offered to citizens of 12 countries — Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea — it was discontinued in November 2014 after the launch of e-Tourist Visa scheme. The e-visa facility now covers practically all the countries of the world, 166 as of now, and foreigners can arrive at any of the designated 26 airports and five seaports in India without interacting with any official before checking in at the immigration counter. Under the e-visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after it has been approved. The tourist can travel with a printout of this authorisation. On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then allow entry into the country. Source: PTI

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has announced to roll out the facility of Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) to the nationals of South Korea with effect from October 1, 2018. The facility will be available with double entry for a period of 60 days for business, tourism, conference and medical purposes at the country’s six major international airports which are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.  

Cebu, Philippines has been chosen as the destination to host PATA Annual Summit (PAS) 2019. The event will be held from May 9-12, 2019. This year’s PATA Summit in Gangneung, South Korea was attended by 372 registered delegates from 182 organisations representing 41 countries. Organised in association with the Korea Tourism Organisation and the Gangwon Province, PAS 2018 focused on building bridges, connecting people and how collaboration creates opportunities.

PATA Annual Summit 2018 underway in Gangneung, South Korea focuses on building bridges, connecting people and how collaboration creates opportunities. This four-day event brought together international thought leaders and industry professionals. The conference looked at various connections that help in shaping the industry as the world moves towards a more exponential future, bringing together a diverse line-up of international industry shapers and senior decision makers. Ban Ki-Moon, Former Secretary-General, United Nations, delivered the keynote address and Taleb Rifai, Former Secretary-General, UNWTO, provided the closing remarks.