South Korea’s visa-free entry policy for Chinese tour groups will officially begin on September 29th and run through June 30th next year, as the government seeks to boost local economic activity and accelerate tourism recovery.
The nation’s Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced the timeline during a “Tourism Revitalization Small Policy Task Force” meeting on August 6th, confirming the temporary visa exemption for Chinese group tourists. The move is seen as a reciprocal response to China’s resumption of visa-free entry for South Korean citizens in November last year.
‘The Korean tourism market is currently recovering rapidly, and if this visa-free policy is implemented, we expect it will further stimulate demand for visits to Korea, thereby promoting local economic revitalization and producing substantial effects on domestic demand,’ the South Korean government indicated in a statement.
The announcement comes as South Korea’s tourism sector shows strong signs of recovery. In the first quarter of this year, 4.3 million international visitors arrived, with Chinese tourists making up nearly 25 percent of the total. China’s own visa-free policy for South Koreans is set to continue until the end of next year.
The policy has already sparked a positive market response, particularly benefiting South Korea’s hospitality and casino sectors. Hotel and casino-related stocks have recorded strong gains as the implementation date approaches, with investors anticipating a surge in Chinese tourist arrivals.
This development is especially significant for South Korea’s casino industry, where all except one establishment are foreigner-only and rely heavily on international visitors. The expected influx of Chinese tour groups is likely to create substantial revenue opportunities for these tourism-dependent businesses.
In its press release, the South Korean government said it continues to coordinate with relevant departments to ensure the smooth implementation of the policy, which marks another step toward strengthening bilateral tourism ties between the two countries.
