[Editorial] Ways to Make Tourism Flourish in Korea

Incheon International Airport won the Airports Council International (ACI) Best Airport Awards for two consecutive years. Over 2,000 travelers assessed 86 major airports worldwide on 32 items, and Incheon International Airport ranked first in 29 of them. The airport also won the Global Traveler Award for Best Airport Worldwide; it ranked second in international freight management capabilities. This impressive result is largely thanks to the airport’s dramatic improvement in its customs and immigration services that had lagged behind the private sector since its opening in 2001.

There is no such thing as a “permanent No.1” in the world of services. Dubai International Airport, which took the No.1 spot from 2001 through 2003, is now seeking to take the place back with its 24-hour operation system and expansion in size. In the face of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, challenges from Chinese airports are also very real. Incheon International Airport began unmanned check-in services last week; by July of next year it will increase in size by 50 percent.

Incheon International Airport’s competitive edge in service proves the potential of the Korean tourism industry. Despite the huge potential that has made Incheon International Airport one of the best airports in the world, however, Korea has failed to overcome its backwardness in tourism. A survey by Visa Card on 5,050 tourists from ten countries including the United States and the United Kingdom revealed that Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan were the top three Asian nations they “wanted to travel to within two years,” while Korea only ranked tenth out of 14.

The main factors behind the low ranking were a lack of tourism infrastructure, expensive tourism products and communications difficulties. In particular, high consumer prices was the biggest reason for foreign tourists’ reluctance to visit Korea. Seoul’s daily food expenses were 202 dollars, the second-highest among 100 major cities around the world. As the tourism industry claims, taxes are heavier than those for the manufacturing sector, and various regulations are also attributable to the situation. Furthermore, a lack of systematic tourism policies and insufficient efforts by relevant agencies are a problem, too.

This year, deficits in tourism are projected to grow bigger than last year ($12.9 billion). From January through March this year, the number of Korean nationals heading abroad was 3.33 million and that of foreigners entering Korea was 1.44 million. To attract more foreign tourists, we need to improve medium- and low-priced accommodations, develop tourism products tailored to the needs of travelers, and enhance the quality of services. The government has to hurry up in providing institutional support such as the “Special Act on Medical Tourism,” which the industry has requested. Medical services are only one of many tourism areas to be promoted—tourism related to Korean pop culture, well-being, leisure, farming areas, sports, cuisine and movie are others. Given Incheon International Airport’s top place, it is not an impossible goal for Korea to become a “tourism powerhouse.”