Acting President Choi Sang-mok has vowed active efforts to upgrade the country’s tourism infrastructure and promote the industry. 

Choi made the pledge Friday during a visit to the Welcome Center for Korea Grand Sale 2025 in Myeongdong, Seoul, where he said foreign tourist numbers are rebounding ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, which will kick off in October in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.

The acting president said the government will strengthen promotional activities targeting foreign tourists as a way to breathe new life into domestic demand and revitalize local economies. 

He then urged related government agencies to actively devise tailored programs in which foreigners can get hands-on experience of South Korea’s culture, history and everyday life. 

The number of foreign tourists to South Korea plunged from 17-and-a-half million in 2019 to some two-and-a-half million in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Last year, the figure stood at nearly 16-point-four million.