By Soh Ji-young
Staff Reporter


SEOUL?ith the ski season about to start full swing, a growing number of Southeast Asian tourist are coming to take on Korea? slopes.

About 400,000 Chinese and Southeast Asian ski tourists are predicted to visit Korea this winter, a 30 percent increase from last year, according to ski industry officials.

Yongpyong Resort in Kangwon-do, estimates that the number of Southeast Asian tourists will reach 54,800 this season, up 30 percent from last year? total of 42, 200.

To meet the surging number of foreign tourists, Yongpyong Resort has prepared a "Fun Ski & Snow Festival" with Muju Resort and the Korea National Tourism Organization to be held on l2 occasions until March 7.

Various programs will be offered to foreigners during the period, including ski lessons and Korean traditional performances.
Alps Resort predicted that the number of Southeast Asian tourists will amount to 20,000 in December alone, already half the figure of last season? total of 40,000.

Pokwang Phoenix Park admitted about 4,000 tourists so far, more than double the figure during the same period last year, and Pochon Bears Town is expecting about 7,000Southeast Asian tourists to come this season.

But there are worries that resorts cannot adequately meet the surging demand due to a shortage of rooms and a limited variety of tourist packages.

"The number of Southeast Asian tourists has grown significantly after Korea? ski tourism industry became widely known," said a resort representative.

"But tourists are experiencing difficulty in finding lodging, since resort members take up most of the rooms. In addition, most of the programs available to Southeast Asian tourist are cheap tourists packages, due to excessive competition between travel agencies. These only tarnish the image of the Korean tourist industry," he said.