Foreign tourists can now book train tickets for domestic regional travel in real time through an overseas travel platform. The government plans to improve the convenience of regional travel for foreign tourists by expanding rail discounts and transportation booking channels.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) and Klook announced Tuesday that they will hold a rail ticket discount event for foreign tourists from May 4 to June 3.
Klook launched a real-time rail ticket booking service for foreigners on April 20. Through the Klook app and website, foreign tourists can check train operation information and seat availability across all KORAIL lines in real time and book tickets directly.
The service supports approximately 20 languages and currencies and simple payment methods from 40 countries. Overseas cards and local payment methods can be used, lowering the booking barrier for foreign tourists.
According to the Korea Express Bus Terminal Operators Association, the number of foreign passengers using express and intercity buses has been rising since overseas card payments were fully introduced. In the second half of last year, foreign users numbered 1.058 million, up 28.3% from 825,000 in the same period a year earlier.
The ministry, the Korea Tourism Organization and KORAIL have also prepared discount benefits to coincide with the service launch. The Korea Tourism Organization is providing a 6,000 won discount coupon that can be used when purchasing rail tickets, while Klook offers a free travel eSIM. KORAIL is also introducing a Rail Plus card featuring a Klook-exclusive design.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization plan to expand online booking channels for express and intercity buses for foreign tourists in June, in an effort to disperse foreign tourism demand concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area to other regions.
