Culture Ministry to distribute coupons for tourism

With Korea relaxing COVID-19 restrictions in line with its “living with COVID-19” scheme, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization are to resume a discount coupon program for travel accommodations to encourage the local tourism industry hit by the virus crisis.

The Culture Ministry launched the coupon program twice last year, but had to suspend it to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus infections. Before the suspension, 520,000 coupons had been issued.

In November, the coupon program will offer a discount coupon worth 20,000 won to 30,000 won ($17-$25) for booking a stay at domestic travel accommodations through 47 online tourism websites. It can be used at some 28,000 travel accommodations across the country, from hotels and condos to resorts and more.

Some 1.3 million coupons will be issued from Nov. 9 to Nov. 23 for stays from Nov. 9 to Dec. 23. For stays priced at under 70,000 won, a 20,000 won coupon will be issued, and for stays priced over 70,000 won, a 30,000 won coupon will be issued.

According to the Culture Ministry, the coupons are available for stays before Christmas and the year-end holiday season as the program was launched to encourage traveling in the low season.

Users can download the coupons at the online tourism platforms.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)