RESUMPTION OF LOCAL TOURISM PROGRAMS

[Anchor Lead]

With the outdoor mask mandate lifted, people are eager to travel again. Local governments in Korea are also resuming tourism programs. Tourist spots are known to be flooded with visitors.

[Pkg]

At a subway station in Seoul, lightly dressed people start to gather one after another. They are taking part in a city tour program of Paju City.

[Soundbite] "Welcome!"

The program is running again after 30 months. The tour was suspended in October 2019 amid the outbreak of African swine fever. When it was about to resume in April the following year, the pandemic hit which brought an indefinite closure.

[Soundbite] Lee Hyeon-nam(Paju Cultural commentator) : "People may have first balked at the idea. But here we are today on board a huge bus setting out together. It truly signifies the beginning of normal life."

The tour offers different themes and courses for different days of the week. On the weekend, a one night stayover program is also available. In another global event hosted by the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, some 300 foreign visitors traveled Korea at discounts of up to 75%. The EG Tour Bus, an exclusive tourist bus only for non-Koreans that travel between Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Province, has also resumed after 2 years.

[Soundbite] Jenn Mellott(Tourist from U.S.)

As most social distancing measures have been lifted, including the outdoor mask mandate, municipalities and the tourism sector eagerly wait for the return of a tourism boom.