Wanda Tourism joins forces with Ly.com to bring 100,000 Chinese tourists to South Korea

With the encouraging news of the MERS epidemic stabilizing recently, Wanda Tourism, as the leader in China’s tourism industry, took the initiative and joined forces with Ly.com to launch a large-scale themed program in conjunction with Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) that will see about 100,000 tourists from China making trips to South Korea over a 150-day period. The first group of 1,000 tourists will attend welcome activities organized by KTO in Seoul on August 22, 2015 to kick off a resurgence of visits to South Korea by Chinese tourists.

Mo Yueming, Vice President of Wanda Group, said that South Korea had always been one of the popular outbound destinations for Chinese tourists and the MERS epidemic seriously affected visits to South Korea during the peak season in June and July. According to him, Wanda Tourism paid close attention to the epidemic. It constantly monitored the situation and made close communication with KTO on several occasions so as to make active preparations for the resumption of activities. When news that the epidemic had been effectively controlled broke, it immediately organized its personnel to make preparations. After communicating with Ly.com and KTO, it was determined that Wanda Tourism and Ly.com shall jointly plan and organize a large-scale program with the theme “100,000 to South Korea with a Million Miles of Sincerity” which received the affirmation and support of KTO. The program will give full play to Wanda Tourism’s advantages in its offline network and leverage the large online customer base of Ly.com. It plans to send 100,000 tourists to South Korea by December 31. This is the first major event that Wanda Group is collaborating with Ly.com after the former made a strategic investment in the latter on July 3. Wanda Group has high expectations for the program. Given its duration, the number of people involved in its organization, the extent of its influence and the breadth of participation, the program can be said to be the largest event in Wanda Tourism’s history and the largest tour group from China to South Korea to date. It is set to be a major event in the tourism industry in the year 2015.

According to Xu Daoming, Deputy General Manager of Wanda Tourism, trips to South Korea organized by agencies under Wanda Tourism plummeted by approximately 70% from the same period last year due to the MERS epidemic. The fact that the epidemic is now under control is a shot in the arm for agencies under Wanda Tourism. Based on data from these agencies, customers who have previously cancelled or postponed their trips to South Korea are gradually changing their minds, and KTO also introduced new policies with Chinese tourists in mind, such as short-term visa fee waivers for tour groups, free entrance to Gyeongbok Palace and many other famous attractions, visa-free entry to South Korea for Chinese group tourists who hold visas to Japan, and a maximum visiting period of 15 days. Many department stores in South Korea such as Lotte, Hyundai and Shinsegae are also holding their largest sale in the year.

Under this program, Wanda Tourism will be launching the “Made by Wanda” range of products that have been in the works for a long time. With the needs of tourists in mind, the products focus on the itinerary, accommodation, group dining and other tour elements and further elevate our South Korea-related offerings through careful planning by    professional teams put together by local companies. They offer high-quality services and allow visitors to discover a unique South Korea as they take in the sights of the country. The program has received great recognition from KTO.

Mr. Park Jeong-ha, head of the KTO's Beijing branch, said that visitors from China is South Korea’s largest source of tourists as they account for over 40% of all inbound visits to the country. Affected by the MERS outbreak, the number of tourists to South Korea plummeted in June and July which was a heavy blow to the local tourism industry. Chinese visitors became a rare sight in Myeong-dong and the Lotte Duty Free Shop in Seoul. The slump in tourism revenue from China was a major impact to South Korea. The program by Wanda Tourism and Ly.com which will bring 100,000 visitors to South Korea is greatly appreciated by all in the country’s tourism industry. KTO will give its full cooperation to Wanda Tourism to ensure the program’s success.

It is now the best time to visit South Korea. As the country picks itself up from the aftermath of the MERS epidemic and the local tourism industry begins to recover, the cost of trips to South Korea will fall by 20% to 40%. Sightseeing and shopping will also be more leisurely. With the full support of KTO, Wanda Tourism and Ly.com can be expected to bring a resurgence of Chinese tourists to South Korea.