The South Korean government announced on Wednesday a new package of measures to boost tourism in the capital city of Seoul.
Eager to fill a lack of supply in the Seoul market in the face of double-digit increases in demand over the past three years, the government has made a goal of adding 36,000 hotel rooms by 2015 by providing cheap land for hospitality development.Foreign visits to South Korea rose to 8.8 million in 2010, a 12.5% increase from the previous year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.In addition, luring Chinese travelers has been made a top priority as they have become an increasing percentage of South Korea's total visitors. The government said it will support restaurants in developing Chinese-friendly menus, provide more Chinese-language tours and smartphone applications, and help foster the creation of more budget travel junkets from China.Foreign visits to South Korea rose to 8.8 million in 2010, a 12.5% increase from the previous year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
