2nd Vice Minister Kim Jong of  the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism explains about the Spring Tourism Weeks, designed to boost domestic tourism, that kicks off on May 1 for a two-week run, during a meeting with reporters. Full-blown cherry flowers are bedecked along the Yeunjeung-ro in Yeouido. Tourism sites across the country are expected to draw crowds of tourist during the Spring Tourism Weeks.(Photos:MCST)

The Spring Tourism Weeks, designed to boost domestic tourism, kick off on May 1 for a two-week run, with local government bodies doing their best to attract tourists.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) said Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), government ministries, local governments and companies will offer some 3,000 tourism discounts and each region will have a representative tour program across the nation during the Spring Tourism Weeks through May 14. A close look at diverse tour programs plus discounts will make tourists experience worthwhile spring outings and more memorable moments.   

Tourists will experience 17 representative tour programs selected by each city and provincial governments’ public contests and diverse discounts that 3,003 tourism companies will offer during the tourism weeks, the third such event since May 2014.

In particular, each city and provincial government public contests have led to the exploration of new tourism programs for the 2015 Spring Tourism Weeks, and the reinforcing of a connection between major tourism attractions and regional festivals. More than 1,400 accommodation facilities and famous eateries will participate, while 89 percent of primary and secondary schools will suspend classes on a voluntary basis or conduct a short-term vacation.

The government introduced Tourism Weeks as part of efforts to boost domestic tourism demand during the second extended meeting of tourism-related ministries at Cheong Wa Dae on Feb. 3, 2014. The government steps included providing vacation subsidies to workers at small- and medium-sized businesses and creating tourism weeks twice a year — in May and September — during which students are allowed to leave for short vacations so that families can go on domestic trips together. 

Such experience programs include Camping Week, Temple Stay Full of Happiness and Rural Village Tour Family Week. They will be given bigger discounts. 

Government ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Cultural Heritage Administration, have collaborated in presenting tour programs to offer tourists a package of benefits. 

MCST held a meeting with tourism director generals from municipal and provincial governments to promote ways of collaborating in steps to reinvigorate the domestic tourism industry at the KTO Seoul Center in Seoul on March 24.

Participating in the meeting were MCST Minister Kim Jong-deok and some 60 director generals in charge of tourism from municipal and provincial government. 

The participants discussed ways to promote collaboration with related government agencies to enhance public awareness toward Tourism Weeks and spur a domestic tourism boom. They also touched on ways of ensuring safety of large-size tourist businesses frequented by multitudes of people. 

The officials from municipal and provincial governments asked the ministry to provide aggressive support in local government bodies’ exploration of their unique tourism content to brace for an era of 20 million foreign arrivals. 

Director General Kim Chul-min, in charge of tourism policy at MCST, said, “I hope such nationwide collaboration projects related to the Tourism Weeks will serve as an opportunity to further mature local governments’ tourism industry capabilities.”