ULSAN < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(ULSAN=Yonhap News) A delegation from the Ulsan regional government left for Tangshan in northern China's Hebei Province on Friday to hold talks with Chinese officials on strengthening tourism exchanges in relation to this year's gathering of representatives from five cities that have mountain ranges containing the word Alps.

The gathering, known as the 2016 Congress of World Alps Cities Association for Mountain Tourism, is scheduled to be convened in the Chinese province in September, with the venue city yet to be decided.

During the delegation's visit to Hubei, the two sides are expected to discuss ways to activate the group of mountainous cities including the expansion of members aimed at elevating it to an international body.

The five-member group comprises the South Korean municipality, China's Hubei provincial government, New Zealand's Queenstown city government, Japan's Toyama city government and Titlis Rotair, an integrated tourism company in Switzerland's Engelberg.

Ulsan, a city in southeastern South Korea, has the Yeongnam Alps, Hubei the Beijing Alps, Queenstown the Southern Alps, Toyama the Northern Alps and Engelberg the Uri Alps.

The South Korean city took the initiative in launching the group in 2012 in a bid to seek cooperation with cities that have a mountain range with the Alps appellation in developing themselves into world-class mountain tourism spots. The group's general meetings have so far been convened in Ulsan.

Kang Jong-jin, who is responsible for the congress hosting, said the city government "will push ahead with a project to develop the association into a channel through which negotiations for the tourism business are held and tourist products are made."

namsh@yna.co.kr

Copyrights Yonhap News. All Rights Reserved.