South Korea is seeking to loosen arrival measures for Thai tourists following negative sentiment over the strict immigration system and strong regional competition to draw visitors, says the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).
The KTO targets 400,000 Thai tourists next year, which is less than the pre-pandemic total in 2019.
Kim Dong-il, senior vice-president of the KTO, said the South Korean and Thai governments are collaborating to solve obstacles for Thai tourists, such as easing measures for travel approval.
Although Thai tourists can visit without a visa, they are required to register on the Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) online system for approval before departure.
During the past year, some Thais avoided visiting South Korea after tourists were denied entry and ranted about it on social media, resulting in the downtrend.
During the first 10 months of 2024, South Korea welcomed around 260,000 Thai tourists, roughly 56% of the level in 2019. The total should reach 320,000 for the full year, said Mr Kim.
For 2025, the agency targets 400,000 Thai tourists, lower than the 571,610 recorded in 2019, he said.
Next year the agency will focus on independent travellers and family groups from the Thai market, said Mr Kim.
The target segments are still passionate about Korean drama, music and culture, which helps reinforce the destination's uniqueness, he said.
Amid strong tourism competition in the region, such as from China and Japan, which also allow visa-free travel for Thai tourists, the KTO is partnering with travel operators and online travel platforms to draw Thai tourists, such as KTC, Traveloka, KKDay and Klook.
Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said while South Korea remains a top five tourism destination for Thai tourists, particularly in the cool season, it has been overtaken by China, which signed a mutual visa-free agreement with Thailand in March this year.
Mr Thanapol said China has become a trendy destination for Thais because of the visa-free scheme and numerous offerings.
He said he hoped the South Korean government would grant an exemption for K-ETA applications, or at least improve the visiting process for Thai tourists.
The KTO, together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea, last week launched its third Korea Tourism Startup Center in Bangkok, aiming to expand its travel tech startups into Thailand and Southeast Asia.