The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization (President Lim Byeong-soo) recently announced that 1800 Chinese students would be visiting Korea via Pyeongtaek Port in three groups, starting on January 19, 2009.

As Gyeonggi Province is a natural destination for Chinese travelers after entering South Korea via Pyeongtaek Port, the Organization has continuously promoted trips to Gyeonggi Province in China, as a way of activating Pyeongtaek Port, the province¡？s only international gateway. Through its steady sales efforts, the organization has successfully attracted a large number of Chinese students to visit Korea on their winter school trips.

Most notably, the organization¡？s intensive efforts to develop tourism products have enabled this recent achievement of attracting Chinese students to accommodations in Gyeonggi Province (at four facilities, including Hanwha Resort) for four nights. This success is gaining attention, as it is the first indication that the organization¡？s efforts to develop cultural and environmental experience tours are paying off.

President Lim Byeong-soo will host a welcoming reception for 547 students who are arriving on January 19, 2009. He will express the Province¡？s interest in making Chinese tourists feel welcome, and deliver some remarks to greet the visitors.

A spokesperson for the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization said, “We will focus on developing specific tourism products for overseas tourists by target and by season, in order to actively use the tourism infrastructure and boost the local economy. We intend to utilize tourism as a growth engine for the province through aggressive marketing activities, and field-oriented and performance-based programs.”