Hawaii rejoices S Korea visa waiver
Hawaii’s tourism industry is set to receive a boost with the US lifting visa requirements from 7 new countries, including South Korea.
The decision means South Koreans, like the Japanese, British and citizens of other US allies, would no longer have to go through the hassle of obtaining visas before they travel to the US for short-term visits.
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia will also be added to the US visa waiver programme in about a month, the Associated Press reported.
But it was South Korea that had tourism officials in Hawaii celebrating. Right now, about 35,000 South Korean tourists visit the American island state each , but officials were quoted saying they could see the number quadruple over the next few years, and help offset a drop in visitors from Japanese and domestic markets.
“We know that they will be a big supplier of visitors to the islands as well as they have great potential for expanding business and our economy here in the islands,” Marsha Wienert, Hawaii’s State Tourism Liaison was quoted saying.
The report said the move was welcome news for the industry during a year marked by the back-to-back collapse of ATA and Aloha airlines and a subsequent plunge in visitor arrivals.
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