Korea Tour : Record 17 million visitors to Korea in 2016.

 

The 17 millionth visitor to Korea this year is to be welcomed at Gimpo International Airport today on December, 27th, 2016.

 

The previous record was 14.2 million in 2014.

 

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) in coordination with the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) will celebrate the person at Gimpo International Airport at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

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MCST Minister Cho Yoon-sun will also give a flower necklace to the 17 millionth visitor.

 

KTO, the Visit Korea Committee, the Korea Airport Corporation and the airline carrying the visitor also plan to give welcome gifts.

 

The record is a 31.2 percent increase from the last year, when the number of visitors fell 6.8 percent in 2015 due to Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

 

A MCST official said that the groundbreaking record of 17 million is a drastic 1.5 times increase from 2012 when Korea hit its first 10 million foreign travelers.

 

He also added that for Korea's tourism to take a leap forward, the government and the tourism industry must work together to develop tourism content in addition to improving the quality of the tourism industry.