THIS year is proving to be disastrous for the South Korean tourism industry - in spite of an upsurge of visitors from Hong Kong.
Despite the holding of an international exposition and the designation of 1994 as ''Visit Korea Year'', arrivals to the Land of the Morning Calm from other major markets have been plunging.
''We can no longer be complacent,'' said Youn-Tai Chi, president of the Korean National Tourism Corpn (KNTC). ''Despite our best efforts there are negative elements working against the development of tourism in Korea.'' Tourism officials have been hard-pressed to explain the declining enthusiasm. Analysts blame a number of factors, including short-sighted restrictions placed on the industry by an official austerity drive, the worldwide recession and a lack of ingenuity in selling the peninsula's attractions to the outside world.
Then there is the under-developed tourism infrastructure, the high cost of visiting Korea and Seoul's notoriously unpleasant taxi drivers.
In the first four months of this year, total arrivals were down more than 15 per cent. Japan, traditionally Korea's most important market with a 40 per cent share, plunged about 13 per cent in the same period.
At the same time, the breaking of diplomatic relations with Taiwan - which last year accounted for 10 per cent of visitors to Korea - caused a 63 per cent decrease in Taiwanese visitors. Korea has just announced it is opening its doors to tourists from mainland China in a bid to increase revenue.