Huge tourist complex to be built

A mammoth foreign tourist complex will be built on a lot of about 30,000 pyong (99,000 square meters) west of Seoul.

The tourist complex to be constructed in Kyonggi Province between Inchon International Airport and Seoul by 2010 will have 10,000 to 15,000 guest rooms, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

The government also plans to develop the south coast belt connecting the southern port cities of Pusan and Mokpo and North Kyongsang Province areas with strong Confucian legacies into world-class tourist attractions.

These projects and programs to promote tourism were confirmed in an inter-ministry meeting on how to enhance tourism held at Chong Wa Dae, presided over by President Kim Dae-Jung. About 150 government ministers, provincial governors, mayors and representatives of travel agencies attended the function.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported in the meeting that about 140,000 rooms are expected to be required to host the 2002 World Cup soccer finals, but there are only 45,000 tourist hotel rooms available nationwide at present.

In order to make up for the shortage of about 95,000 rooms, the ministry plans to designate low-priced inns and motels as lodging facilities for foreign tourists after they are renovated. They will be given priority in receiving financial support from the government for their renovations.

In order to help more foreign tourists use low-priced inns and motels, the ministry will assist financially the owners of the lodging facilities to construct online reservation systems.

The construction of the projected mammoth tourist lodging complex is part of a plan to expand lodging facilities by 50,000 rooms in a bid to achieve a goal of attracting 10 million foreign tourists in 2010. The complex will have hotels, condominiums, shopping centers, restaurants and various entertainment facilities.

Strong candidates for location of the envisioned complex include the Ilsan District of Koyang City, Sihung City and Kimpo City, all located in the western outskirts of Seoul. Concrete plans will be confirmed in the second half this year.