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Chinese tourists inject new life into abandoned Korean airport
Situated along the East Sea just below the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, Gangwon Province spent 356.7 billion won (US$343 billion) to build the international airport in 2002, hoping to draw more tourists.
In April, Gangwon Province adopted a visa program that allows Chinese group travelers to stay in the province for 72 hours without a visa and promoted tour packages that combined mountain hiking, beach tours and shopping.
The results showed immediately. The number of passengers using the airport shot up to 219,761 as of Sept. 22, breaking the annual record of 217,115 in 2002, when it first opened. About 3,500 people used the airport in 2009.
Kim said Gangwon Province has a lot to offer. It has beautiful scenery, much of which has become famous tourist attractions after appearing in popular Korean dramas viewed voraciously by Chinese fans.
"We advertise tour packages like this: 'Do you know Gangwon Province? It's the most popular tourist destination in South Korea. If you see the East Sea and Mount Seorak, you don't need to see any other seas or mountains in Korea,'" he said.
"The airport's goal is to have 500,000 visitors next year and more than 1 million in 2018," Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon said on Sept. 22 during an event celebrating the record number of passengers with senior officials and the chiefs of Chinese airlines. "The airport and the province will make utmost efforts to develop the airport into a gateway to Northeast Asia."
To that end, the province recently extended the visa stay period to five days and increased the space for tax-free shops.
Enticed by the growing number of Chinese tourists, several retailers and jewelry shops have opened businesses with products tailored to Chinese tastes.
Kim Yoon-deok, a senior official at Jushin Duty Free Shop in the airport, said Korean cosmetic brands and rice cookers are the most popular items among Chinese tourists. KT&G, the nation's tobacco and ginseng producer, was selling a limited edition of cigarettes in a red octagon box -- a design combining Chinese's favorite color and number.
Escorted to the new tax-free shops after the celebration ceremony, a smiling Choi said, "Now it looks like a real international airport."
Choi pledged to provide support for the airport as his province is preparing to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in the eastern alpine city of PyeongChang, which will bring more travelers in the run-up to the sports event.
He said the government is reviewing ways to increase the number of regular international routes that connect to Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand, and renovate the facility.
"The runway is not long enough for large-size airplanes. If it's renovated to have a longer landing strip, it would be able to accommodate bigger airplanes for more visitors," Choi said.
In addition, Russian tourists from two far eastern cities, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, are expected to begin using the airport when new direct charter flights and five-day tour packages are launched next month.
The provincial government said it will closely monitor the occupancy rate and passenger feedback to gauge the feasibility of launching regular flights to transport Russian athletes during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Local officials say they want the airport to be able to stand on its own without support from an extra budget and contribute to the local economy by bringing in more tourists and investment.
"As many tourists and athletes will visit Gangwon Province during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics period, I hope the airport can grow into an international airport that can stand on its own," said Kim Si-sung, chief of the Gangwon Province council.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
Copyrights Yonhap News. All Rights Reserved. Source Text
Source: Yonhap News (September. 26, 2014)
Date
2014.10.01
Views
450
According to Yonhap News,
(YANGYANG=Yonhap News) Kim Jin-ha, governor of Yangyang County on South Korea's eastern coast, says he is happy whenever he spots an airplane in the sky, knowing that it most likely is transporting visitors to his county's Yangyang International Airport.
Situated along the East Sea just below the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, Gangwon Province spent 356.7 billion won (US$343 billion) to build the international airport in 2002, hoping to draw more tourists.
In April, Gangwon Province adopted a visa program that allows Chinese group travelers to stay in the province for 72 hours without a visa and promoted tour packages that combined mountain hiking, beach tours and shopping.
The results showed immediately. The number of passengers using the airport shot up to 219,761 as of Sept. 22, breaking the annual record of 217,115 in 2002, when it first opened. About 3,500 people used the airport in 2009.
Kim said Gangwon Province has a lot to offer. It has beautiful scenery, much of which has become famous tourist attractions after appearing in popular Korean dramas viewed voraciously by Chinese fans.
"We advertise tour packages like this: 'Do you know Gangwon Province? It's the most popular tourist destination in South Korea. If you see the East Sea and Mount Seorak, you don't need to see any other seas or mountains in Korea,'" he said.
"The airport's goal is to have 500,000 visitors next year and more than 1 million in 2018," Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon said on Sept. 22 during an event celebrating the record number of passengers with senior officials and the chiefs of Chinese airlines. "The airport and the province will make utmost efforts to develop the airport into a gateway to Northeast Asia."
To that end, the province recently extended the visa stay period to five days and increased the space for tax-free shops.
Enticed by the growing number of Chinese tourists, several retailers and jewelry shops have opened businesses with products tailored to Chinese tastes.
Kim Yoon-deok, a senior official at Jushin Duty Free Shop in the airport, said Korean cosmetic brands and rice cookers are the most popular items among Chinese tourists. KT&G, the nation's tobacco and ginseng producer, was selling a limited edition of cigarettes in a red octagon box -- a design combining Chinese's favorite color and number.
Escorted to the new tax-free shops after the celebration ceremony, a smiling Choi said, "Now it looks like a real international airport."
Choi pledged to provide support for the airport as his province is preparing to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in the eastern alpine city of PyeongChang, which will bring more travelers in the run-up to the sports event.
He said the government is reviewing ways to increase the number of regular international routes that connect to Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand, and renovate the facility.
"The runway is not long enough for large-size airplanes. If it's renovated to have a longer landing strip, it would be able to accommodate bigger airplanes for more visitors," Choi said.
In addition, Russian tourists from two far eastern cities, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, are expected to begin using the airport when new direct charter flights and five-day tour packages are launched next month.
The provincial government said it will closely monitor the occupancy rate and passenger feedback to gauge the feasibility of launching regular flights to transport Russian athletes during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Local officials say they want the airport to be able to stand on its own without support from an extra budget and contribute to the local economy by bringing in more tourists and investment.
"As many tourists and athletes will visit Gangwon Province during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics period, I hope the airport can grow into an international airport that can stand on its own," said Kim Si-sung, chief of the Gangwon Province council.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
Copyrights Yonhap News. All Rights Reserved. Source Text
Source: Yonhap News (September. 26, 2014)