TravTalk India Online Magazine
South Korea is all set to welcome outbound travellers from India, quarantine-free, after a two-year travel halt caused by the pandemic. Indians can now travel to the country with a short term (C-3) visa, allowing them to stay up to 90 days for marketing research, travel, visiting relatives, meetings and other purposes.
Nisha Verma
With borders opening and countries across the world inviting tourists to their shores, South Korea is all set to welcome outbound travellers from India after a two-year travel halt caused by the pandemic.
Effective from 1 June 2022, Indian travellers can apply for a short term (C-3) visa, which allows foreigners to stay up to 90 days for marketing research, travel, visiting relatives, meetings or similar reasons.
Pleased about the reopening of Korea for Indian travellers, Y.G. Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), New Delhi, said, “We are very excited to welcome the Indian travellers to South Korea after a long pause. We have just switched on the reset button for South Korea travel. Our offerings will be focused on new market segments like luxury and entertainment for generation Z. There are variety of assets South Korea has in terms of luxury experiences and entertainment inspired from the world of K-pop and K-drama shoot locations. We will also be focusing on co-working with multiple travel trade partners and make the best price options available for the Indian travellers to visit Korea.”
Visa procedures
Interested travellers can apply for visa physically at the VFS Global centres. VFS Global South Korea Visa Application Center, New Delhi and Kolkata are accepting all the visa categories, including express visa applications. Applicants would need to take prior appointment to submit the application in New Delhi. However, for Kolkata, applicant can walk in without appointment to submit the application. Online appointment link is available on website.
Requirements
Starting from 8 June, all international travellers to Korea are not required to quarantine regardless of their vaccination status. Covid-19 testing will still be in effect, making it necessary for travellers to submit a negative Covid-19 test result. Travellers must do a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test before departing to Korea. After arrival in Korea, another PCR test must be done within three days and a negative PCR test result must be submitted. If travellers do not have a negative test result or lack proper information, they will be unable to board their flight. Also, if travellers get a positive test result upon arrival, they must directly get quarantined. Central Disease Control Headquarters in South Korea recommend using the Q-code system before getting on the flight to make the arrival process quicker.
India promotions
Choi revealed that KTO has launched multiple campaigns on global and regional level to encourage leisure travel to Korea. One such campaign, Travel to Korea Begins Again, targets travellers world over with a showcase of new recommended attractions like K-drama filming sites, food, culture and unexplored regions to visit in Korea and discount offers on flights.
KTO New Delhi has also launched a regional campaign called ‘Let’s Go Korea Plan’, which focuses on Pan India outbound travellers. The plan was launched by KTO’s New Delhi Office in April 2022, in collaboration with Shinhan Bank and Utazzo Travel. The customers have the ease to invest in monthly instalments ranging between `2,000 to `100,000 with Shinhan Bank for a duration of up to one year. The Shinhan bank offers an attractive rate of interest of 5.75 per cent per annum that can be availed at the end of the deposit period. With increasing awareness about Korea and preference of Korean luxury consumer brands in India, especially through Korean entertainment world of K-pop and K-drama, KTO expects a rise in demand for travel to Korea by Indian outbound travellers in 2022-23.
