The description "the mountains of Zhangjiajie are 'filled' with ROK tourists," surged to a trending topic on social media.

It is reported that Zhangjiajie has attracted approximately 200,000 tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) annually in recent years, peaking at 600,000. In 2023, among the over 680,000 foreign tourists visiting Zhangjiajie, ROK tourists accounted for 41%, totaling 280,000, representing a year-on-year increase of over 1,000%. In January 2024, 140,000 ROK tourists traveled to China, a surge of over 900% compared to the previous year.

Since April 2023, the ROK government, major travel agencies, and airlines have worked to resume flight routes to Zhangjiajie. Currently, direct flights from Seoul, Cheongju, Daegu, Busan, and Muan have been resumed, reducing travel time to just over three hours. Moreover, in the upcoming April 2024, the number of flights to Zhangjiajie is expected to increase further, making it one of the cities in China with the most flights to ROK.

Traveling to Zhangjiajie is also inexpensive . The one-way ticket price from Zhangjiajie to Seoul in the economy class averages about 2,000 yuan (approximately $276), which is considered affordable compared to the per capita income of $30,000 in Korea.

Why are ROK tourists so passionate about traveling to Zhangjiajie?

It is attributed to both its natural beauty and ROK tourism needs. ROK tourists have long held a reverence for mountains, and hiking has been a fundamental form of entertainment for them.

In fact, Zhangjiajie has been promoting tourism in ROK since the 1980s and 1990s, leaving a profound impression on ROK people. From 2001 to 2006, ROK tourists consistently led the ranks of overseas visitors to Zhangjiajie,reaching a peak of around 90%.

In response to this influx, the Zhangjiajie authorities have intensified their efforts to promote the close association between filial piety and Zhangjiajie among ROK people. Nowadays, Zhangjiajie holds an irreplaceable position in the minds of the ROK elderly. There is even a saying that goes, "To show filial piety to your parents, take them to Zhangjiajie for a trip."

Furthermore, the scenic beauty of Zhangjiajie has frequently appeared in ROK films and TV shows, further enhancing its popularity and attracting enthusiastic pursuit.

The tourism boom in Zhangjiajie underscores the recovering exchanges between China and ROK.

According to statistics released by the ROK Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport on March 19th (local time), a total of 7.176 million passengers traveled on international flights from ROK in February 2024, with 1.018 million passengers on flights to China, accounting for 14.19%. This marks the first time since January 2020 that the monthly number of passengers on flights to China has exceeded one million.

Therefore, it can be predicted that exchanges between China and ROK are ushering in a new turning point.

Source:Yangcheng Evening News

张家界的山上“长”满了韩国人？4月起会更多！

“张家界的山上‘长’满了韩国人。”一句社交媒体的夸张描述冲上热搜。

据相关报道，近年来张家界年接待韩国游客的数量一直保持在20万人次，最高峰时达60万。2023年张家界接待的68万多外国游客中，韩国游客占比41%，多达28万人，同比增长超过1000倍。今年1月韩国有14万游客来华旅游，同比暴增900%以上。

据了解，2023年4月以来，韩国当地政府、主要旅行社与航空公司积极推进韩国航线恢复，目前已恢复首尔、清州、大邱、釜山、务安等直飞张家界航线，韩国游客只需3个多小时就可以抵达张家界。而接下来的4月，飞往张家界的航班又将增多，张家界成为了国内通航韩国最多机场的城市之一。

此外，来张家界也很经济实惠。张家界至首尔的单程机票，经济舱大多为2000多元人民币。和韩国的人均年收入达3万美元相比，这个价格是很实惠的。

韩国人为何如此热衷到张家界？

这与张家界的自然美景有关，同时，也与韩国的旅游需求有关。一直以来，韩国人对山保留着崇拜，登山是他们基本的出游娱乐方式。

实际上，早在上世纪八九十年代，张家界就已到韩国做过旅游推广，在韩国人心中留下非常深刻的印象。早在2001年到2006年，到访张家界的海外游客占比中，韩国长期稳居第一，一度达到90%左右。

面对蜂拥而至的韩国游客，张家界官方更加大了传播力度，成功在韩国将孝道与张家界进行了绑定。现在，张家界在韩国老年人的心中有不可撼动的地位。韩国甚至有这样一句话，“孝顺父母，就送他们去张家界旅游”。

此外，张家界的美景也频繁地出现在韩国影视作品中，这也提高了张家界在韩国的知名度，受到热情追捧。

张家界的旅游热度也是中韩之间交流开始复苏的重要注脚。

据韩国国土交通部当地时间19日公布的统计数据，今年2月，韩国国际航线乘客数量共有717.6万人次，其中中国航线乘客数量为101.8万人次，占比14.19%。这是自2020年1月以来，中国航线单月乘客数量首次超过百万人次。

可以预见，中韩交流正在迎来新的转机。

文｜记者 冷爽
图｜湖南日报
翻译｜史洋溢