– English bus guide is being introduced on buses that stop at popular tourist destinations
– Chinese bus guide introduced to urban buses operating in Ansan
Gyeonggi Province is introducing English and Chinese bus guides on buses that stop at popular tourist destinations for the convenience of foreign passengers as of December 2008.

The province announced that it will fully launch foreign language bus guide services starting on December 1, 2008, by identifying tourist attractions that are popular among foreign visitors and areas in which large numbers of foreigners live. The service aims to improve the level of convenience for foreign tourists and foreign residents alike, and is being introduced along 47 bus routes at selected spots. The installation and the pilot operation of the guide system were completed at the end of November 2008.

The routes where the newly launched service is available include four tourist destinations: Imjingak, Hwaseong Fortress, Everland, and the Korean Folk Village. The service is available along 47 routes at 89 bus stops, and also at the “Borderless Street” located in Wongok-dong, Ansan, which has a large population of foreign immigrants.

Both English and Korean guides are provided on these routes, and Korean, English, and Chinese guides are provided at the buses that stop at “Borderless Street” in front of Ansan Station, Wongok-dong, Ansan, where a large number of Chinese immigrants work in the adjacent industrial complexes.

The number of foreigners living in Gyeonggi Province is now 210,000, and over 62% of the foreign residents are concentrated in nine cities, including Ansan (12%), Hwaseong (9%), and Suwon (8%).

The number of foreign tourists who visited Imjingak, Everland, Hwaseong Fortress, and Korean Folk Village in 2007 was 1,225,526. Imjingak and Tongil Tower, which are close to the DMZ, are among the most popular tourist attractions for foreign visitors.

The province announced that it was introducing the foreign language guide system to serve the steadily growing number of foreign visitors and foreign residents. A spokesperson for the province said, “The Borderless Street was formed near Ansan Station, and is a venue where many foreigners gather. We expect that this service will make life significantly more convenient for foreign tourists and residents.”

After operating the pilot service in areas with high foreigner traffic, the province plans to expand the target routes in 2009.

In addition, the province has introduced a renewed information system to promote the integrated transportation billing system and the use of traffic cards in the Metropolitan area, which has been provided on 1,000 urban bus routes. The province has also posted new notices on the use of traffic cards in buses.