Korea offers Chinese group tourists 10 months of visa-free entry

Travelers move around Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 1 on Aug. 3. [YONHAP]

 
The Korean government will temporarily lift visa requirements for Chinese group tourists late next month in a bid to boost inbound tourism and stimulate domestic consumption.
 
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok’s office announced the decision to allow visa-free entry for Chinese group travelers from Sept. 29 to June 30, 2026, at a meeting of the task force for tourism promotion policies on Wednesday at the government complex in central Seoul.
 
 
The measure comes just ahead of China’s Golden Week holiday, which begins Oct. 1, and aims to capitalize on the resulting surge in outbound travel during the peak vacation period. 
 
“With Korea’s inbound tourism market recovering rapidly, the new visa waiver policy is expected to generate additional demand from Chinese tourists and contribute to revitalizing regional economies and boosting domestic demand,” the government said.
 
The policy reflects a broader effort to stimulate Korea’s tourism industry, which the government views as a key driver of regional economic growth. 
 
In the first half of 2025, Korea welcomed 8.88 million foreign tourists, a 14.6 percent increase from the previous year and more than 5 percent higher than the prepandemic record of 8.43 million in the first half of 2019. However, it still falls short of the government’s target of 30 million annual visitors.
 

Tourists visit Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on Aug. 6. [NEWS1]

 
Chinese travelers were once the backbone of Korea’s inbound tourism sector. In 2016, Chinese tourists accounted for a record-high 8.06 million visits — 47 percent of all foreign arrivals. 
 
But numbers plummeted after Beijing imposed restrictions on group tours to Korea in retaliation for the deployment of the U.S.-led antimissile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in 2017, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first half of this year, Chinese visitors totaled 2.52 million, accounting for 28 percent of all inbound travelers.
 
China was the first nation to introduce visa exemptions. Since November last year, the Chinese government has allowed travelers from nine countries, including Korea, to visit for up to 15 days without a visa. In the first half of this year, 1.47 million Koreans visited China, a 47 percent increase from the same period of last year.
 
In response, the Korean government began reviewing a temporary visa exemption for Chinese group tourists and, starting in January of last year, waived the visa issuance fee — about $15 — for those travelers. 
 

Visitors walk around Myeong-dong, a shopping district in central Seoul, on July 27. [YONHAP]

 
The industry response to the announcement has been largely positive, especially among duty-free retailers and travel agencies that had suffered from the prolonged absence of big-spending Chinese group tourists. 
 
Retailers have begun adjusting to changing Chinese consumer preferences by boosting sales of beauty products and pharmaceuticals. 
 
Some, such as Shilla Duty Free, have launched marketing campaigns featuring celebrities popular in China like former B1A4 member Jinyoung. Others like Shinsegae have opened BTS-themed shops.
 
“We hope the government will go further by expanding flight routes and increasing cruise tourism between Korea and China,” said a duty-free industry insider.
 
Still, some in the travel sector remain cautious. A sluggish Chinese economy and growing competition from nearby destinations like Japan and Taiwan are seen as potential obstacles. 
 
“Travel costs for Chinese tourists have risen sharply since the pandemic, from transportation to food and guide fees,” said Jang Yoo-jae, CEO of travel agency K-Culture Travel. “It would help if the government actively targeted state-owned and public enterprises in China to foster stronger demand.”
 

Travelers check in for flights to China at the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 24. [NEWS1]

 
The government also announced Wednesday that it would expand eligibility for its fast-track immigration lanes to make it easier for foreign participants in international conferences to enter Korea. Those arriving for events with 300 foreign attendees will now be able to use them; the threshold was previously 500.
 
Additional tourism promotion measures timed around the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit were also discussed at the meeting.
 
In a related move, Korea will revise its criteria for designating top-performing medical tourism institutions. The number of foreign patients each institution attracts will now be considered in the evaluation process, qualifying them for added benefits.
 
The tourism-related reforms have been discussed in coordination with a task force under the Presidential Commission on National Policy Planning; the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Ministry of Justice; and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part of a broader regulatory overhaul of the sector. 

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]