Culture/Tourism Earnings Target Set at $13.3 Bln

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced its latest strategy to increase tourism and exports of items related to Korean culture. It has also set its target earnings from tourism and culture exports at 13-point-three billion dollars.

The ministry stressed that increasing tourism and exports related to culture is needed in order to improve the goods and services account balance.

The announcement of the strategy comes despite culture exports for 2009 rising 25-point-six percent to three-billion dollars and the number of foreign visitors increasing from 2008 by approximately one million to seven-point-nine million.

In addition, the ministry has set its culture export target for 2010 at three-point-eight billion dollars, a 20-percent increase from 2009.

In tourism, the target number of foreign tourists will stand at eight-point-three billion and income from tourism nine-point-five billion dollars.

Minister Yu In-Chon said culture and tourism have the ability to drive up the nation's exports, adding that he hoped they would significantly increase the nation's brand value and improve the goods and services account balance.



* Reported by KBS WORLD Radio

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