Tourists visit the Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, March 18, 2025. Seoul in South Korea witnessed a spring snowfall on Tuesday. (Photo: Xinhua)

South Korea said on Thursday it would offer a visa exemption to Chinese visitors in the third quarter of the year to boost tourism amid sluggish domestic demand and ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit later this year, according to the Reuters. Some interviewees told the Global Times on Thursday that they welcomed the move, while the Travel platform Trip.com Group noted that the policy would significantly improve travel convenience and help revive South Korea's retail, duty-free, and dining industries.

"We will introduce in the third quarter a temporary visa waiver for group tourists from China to speed up the recovery in the number of Chinese visitors," said Choi Sang-mok, the country's acting president, per Reuters.

According to AJP News Agency, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism announced on Thursday that a strategy targeting global tourism market revitalization was released. Starting next month, the government will launch a trial program allowing Chinese tour groups to enter visa-free through designated travel agencies. After gathering feedback, the policy is set to be fully implemented in the third quarter of the year.

For China's major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the focus is on independent travel options for young people aged 20-30. For smaller cities in China, themed group tours will feature sports events, food experiences, beauty treatments, and cultural activities. According to the Bank of Korea, every 1 million additional Chinese group tourists could boost the country's economic growth rate by 0.08 percentage points, AJP News Agency reported. 

"Visa-free entry eliminates many complicated procedures, and since South Korea is very close to Beijing—just a two-hour flight away—it truly makes random trips possible. With visa-free access, I can travel back and forth anytime without feeling pressured to visit all the top attractions in one trip. For example, I could spend a weekend in Jeju Island just relaxing by the sea, or take a short trip to experience the same beauty treatments as Korean celebrities," said Zhang Huakuai, a Beijing resident, who expresses interest in visiting South Korea. 

Travel platform Trip.com Group told the Global Times on Thursday that, according to research by the Ctrip Research Institute, South Korea's plan to implement a visa-free policy for Chinese tour groups will significantly improve travel convenience to South Korea. By simplifying the visa process, Chinese group tourists are expected to directly boost the recovery of South Korea's retail, duty-free, and dining industries.