BUSAN, KOREA — Transfer via Busan is getting easier and more exciting starting as early as next year. International passengers transferring at Gimhae International Airport will soon be granted visa-free transit and may enjoy a transit tour of the vicinity within twelve hours.
Busan Metropolitan Government recently announced the provision of a new immigration system to make entering Korea easier for foreign transit visitors, following the prospective implementation of a visa-free entry/departure policy for transfer passengers traveling to Jeju.
The local government is expected to submit a request for an amendment to relevant immigration control laws to the Ministry of Justice, allowing no-visa entry for transit tourists bound for another country. Upon obtaining the central government’s approval by the end of this year, Gimhae International Airport will undergo a test run starting early next year.
“Gimhae International Airport is within one-hour reach from Busan’s major travel destinations such as Haeundae Beach, Nampo-dong, and Gwangalli Beach,” said an official from the Busan Metropolitan Government. “We expect the implementation of the new law would facilitate transit passengers’ short-term visits to some of Busan’s best tourist attractions, while revitalizing the local tourism industry.”
The number of international inbound visitors in Busan has soared by 17.7% since last year, with a 25.2% year-to-date increase in tourist arrivals from China. Along with a rapid rise in intra-Asian tourism, Busan has also seen a quantum leap of Southeastern tourist arrivals in recent years.
With the revision, Busan aims to become an emerging gateway to Korea and a transit point for connecting passengers en route to major Northeast Asian cities.
In July, the estimated number of inbound travelers reached 1.02 million, surpassing the 1 million monthly mark for the first time. As of the end of July, Korea has welcomed an accumulated of 6.35 million travelers hailing from overseas this year, witnessing a 22% increase compared with the previous year. The phenomenon of rising number of Chinese visitors is particularly visible, accounting for more than 30% of the total monthly visitors.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chinese tourists only accounted for 2.7% of inbound visitors by nationality in 1992, the year the two countries established bilateral diplomatic ties. The share of Chinese travelers increased dramatically since the Republic of Korea was included in the list of countries of free-travel nations in line with Chinese government’s gradually liberalized policy on traveling abroad in 1998, reaching 23% last year.
Source: Korea.net
