韩国要对中国团体游客免签？韩国学者这样说

Core Viewpoint - The South Korean government is considering the indefinite extension of the visa waiver policy for group tourists from China, with plans to potentially expand this to individual tourists in the long term [1][3]. Group 1: Visa Waiver Policy - The South Korean Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are set to announce a detailed implementation plan for the visa waiver policy for Chinese group tourists [1]. - The temporary exemption from the electronic travel authorization (K-ETA), originally set to expire in December, will be extended for another year [1]. - Currently, the visa waiver applies only under specific conditions, such as travel to Jeju Island, transit, and youth study tours [2]. Group 2: Tourism Strategy - The South Korean government has identified tourism as a strategic industry, aiming to attract 30 million foreign tourists and generate $30 billion in tourism revenue by 2027 [1]. - The 2023-2027 tourism revitalization plan includes goals such as extending the average stay of foreign tourists to 15 days and achieving domestic tourism consumption of 50 trillion KRW (approximately 266.6 billion RMB) [1]. Group 3: Economic Impact of Chinese Tourists - In 2024, the total number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea is projected to reach approximately 16.37 million, with total spending expected to hit 9.2552 trillion KRW (about 46.546 billion RMB), marking a 33.8% year-on-year increase [5]. - Chinese tourists have historically been the largest source of visitors to South Korea, with over 4.6 million Chinese tourists visiting last year [5]. - The average credit card spending per Chinese tourist in South Korea is 889,000 KRW (about 4,700 RMB), which is 1.5 times that of Japanese tourists [5]. Group 4: Bilateral Relations and Future Prospects - The South Korean government is focusing on improving relations with China and Russia while strengthening ties with the U.S. and Japan [1]. - The recent increase in air travel between China and South Korea, with a nearly 30% growth in the number of travelers over the past five months, indicates a positive trend in bilateral tourism [6].