As we know here, there’s a lot more to Korea than Seoul,... but the problem is most tourists to the country rarely venture outside of the capital. With this in mind,... the government has set up a number of unique programs aimed at giving visitors the full Korea experience. Kim Ji-yeon has more.
Report
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New bus service to boost regional tourism

Korea has launched a bus service catering to foreign tourists to promote tourism in the country's provincial regions. Organized by the Visit Korea Committee, the K-Travel Bus package offers convenient services at a low price.

For an overnight trip, packages can range from 150 to 170 U.S. dollars per person.

This group of ten tourists had the chance to visit Korea's southern city of Tongyeong.

[Interview]
Kiyo Rea / Filipino tourist
"This is my first time in Tongyeong and it's what I felt in Busan. I fell in love right away. Everything has been prepared for you, the food, the transportation and everything even the guide is also there to help you with the explanation if there's no English translation. It's great."

[Interview]
Masuka Minami / Japanese tourist
(Japanese)
"One of the best things about this program is that we are able to bond with other foreign tourists during the trip. I would definitely recommend the bus travel program to acquaintances back in my home country."

Another rising trend in the local tourism sector that is attracting large groups of foreigners ...is "incentive travel" in which foreign companies send employees on vacation to Korea as a reward for their hard work.

[REPORTER]
Kim Ji-yeon
"Six-thousand visitors from China, the largest number of tourists to visit Korea at one time, have been divided into groups to tour this attraction in Song-do, Incheon city."

Attracting incentive travel is a major focus for the local tourism sector due to potentially huge profitability for the regions.

[Interview]
Kim Chul-won / Professor, Kyung Hee University
(Korean)
"The 6-thousand Chinese tourists visiting as a result of incentive travel is estimated to generate 10-point-3-million U.S. dollars for the city of Incheon. It also helps boost the image of the city as a tourist destination... and offers foreigners another destination besides the traditional tourist regions of Jeju Island and the capital Seoul."

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‘Infrastructure crucial to boosting provincial tourism’

To attract large numbers of tourists like Incheon has... the professor says that provincial cities need to devise ways to accommodate tens of thousands of tourists at one time and provide large venues for recreation as well as dining options.

[CAMERA]
Bang Bo-hyun

The professor also says there's a need for better cultural content and exhibition programs that are unique to each region.

Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.