According to The Korea Times, the South Korean government has said it plans to increase visa benefits in an effort to attract 20 million foreign tourists and generate $24.5 billion in tourism revenue the following year.
The South Korean government plans to expand its offering of electronic visa waivers for tour groups. In the meantime, according to VisaGuide.World, South Korea will to suggest a K-culture training visa and a digital nomad visa (work promotion) in 2024 for foreigners who want to learn more about the country’s culture.
Travelers from Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are eligible for the extension of the electronic visa fee waiver, and the application period is extended to the following year.
A similar measure was taken by South Korean authorities in September this year to attract more visitors from China, which was previously required to apply for an electronic visa.
Young foreigners who are interested in Korean content and want to learn more about the country’s entertainment industry can apply for a K-culture training visa.
A ‘workcation’ or digital nomad visa allows an individual to live and work in Korea for up to two years while maintaining their job in their home country.
In an effort to boost inbound tourism, the South Korean government has also planned additional events. To allow arriving tourists to use payment methods from their home country, they plan to integrate international mobile payment options into their stores.
In addition, the government is creating a mobility application that is only intended for visitors from abroad. With the help of this app, bus, train and taxi reservations are made easier. The current navigation service is being developed with an English version in mind.
The country is already seeing a surge in visitors, which is expected to break all pre-pandemic records in both visitor numbers and revenue. In the year 2019 (before the Covid-19 pandemic), there were 17.5 million foreign visitors and $20.7 billion in revenue in South Korea.
Despite efforts to expand its already growing tourism sector, South Korea faces a labor shortage in this field. This is evident from a study by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute There is still a vacancy rate of 23 percent in the tourist accommodation sector. Sixty percent of companies in this industry say it takes longer than a month to get ads out for the hiring process.
One of the strongest passports in the world is issued by South Korea. As of December 2023, South Korean passports rank 27th in the world according to the VisaGuide Passport Index. This suggests that holders of such a passport will be allowed to enter 148 countries without a visa.
