The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Feb. 15 said it will promote 10 main projects for the initiative Visit Korea Year 2023-24 with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Visit Korea Committee to attract more foreign tourists to the nation.

First, the program ¡°100 K-Culture Tourism Events¡± will develop products for such visitors related to culture and arts, content, games, sports and food across the country.

The KTO¡¯s 32 overseas offices in 22 countries will promote such products through large-scale exhibitions and performing arts festivals.

From May through October, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, and Gyeongju, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, will host ¡°K-pop Playground¡± events every two weeks. Visitors can experience K-pop dance and shop at pop-up stores featuring Korean cultural products.

In June, the Korea Beauty Festival will allow visitors to try and buy domestic beauty, fashion, medical and wellness products. In October, a massive Hallyu (Korean Wave) event will feature K-pop concerts in combining K-pop and sightseeing.

The initiative ¡°Korea Bucket List¡± will run from September through November to strategically extend the nation¡¯s tourist allure beyond the peak summer season. As part of this program, over 10,000 foreign visitors booking tickets to Korea can experience and enjoy what they want to do in the country.

Another promotion will stimulate tourism in the provinces to boost the number of foreign visitors to regions outside of the Greater Seoul area. The ministry will plan and commercialize tourism products featuring the unique culture, food and natural environment of each region.

In addition, ¡°Invite You¡± is a program selecting 30 foreign nationals connected to Korea to visit and go on customized tourism courses. Information booths at key international airports including those in Incheon, Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do Province, Jeju Island and Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, will provide comprehensive multilingual assistance and information on tourist destinations, transportation, top-rated restaurants and shopping.

And 113 companies will form a tourism-promoting group to boost cooperation among participating businesses to develop related products and services.

Park Jong Taek, director-general of the ministry¡¯s Tourism Policy Bureau, said, ¡°By promoting marketing connected to overseas cultural centers and KTO branches and advocating collaboration with ¡®Local 100¡¯ (a program to boost tourism in the provinces), we will expand the Visit Korea Year 2023-24 campaign and monitor the flow of incoming and outgoing foreign tourists.¡±