SCTA seeks S. Korean tourism cooperation

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) is currently visiting South Korea to seek further cooperation on tourism projects.
The South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism had invited the SCTA to visit the country.
According to a source from the SCTA, the three-day visit aims to boost cooperation in the fields of tourism and handicrafts.
Prince Sultan had a meeting on Monday with his counterpart, Charm Lee, president of the Korean Tourism Organization. The SCTA wants to learn from the Korean experience in this area.
The visit also marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries recorded last year. This served as an opportunity to expand the scope of cooperation to include culture, education and public healthcare.
According to a Korean source, the country saw a landmark accomplishment on Nov. 21 when Incheon International Airport announced it had handled a total of 10 million foreign visitors.
The meeting was attended by Saudi Ambassador to South Korea, Ahmed Ben Younes Al-Barrak, and officials from both sides.
South Korea has been steadily growing its tourism industry. With the success of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, the country received increased international exposure, with over two million foreign tourists that year. It took less than three years for the number to reach three million.
The source said there has been a massive growth in the industry since 2008 because of reforms to the visa system, favorable currency exchange rates and the rapid spread of Hallyu (Korean Wave), which refers to the massive popularity of its homegrown musicians.