Understanding the tourism relationships between South Korea and China: a review of influential factors

This study describes the progress of cross-border tourism between South Korea and China in the volatile region of East Asia. It moves beyond normative economic modelling to explain some of the changes in tourist flows between the two countries from a descriptive perspective, looking at influential external factors that affect tourism cooperation and tourist flows. Issues examined here include political, economic, and national security factors, as well as cultural cooperation. This paper examines these variables, which impact the two countries' tourism collaborative efforts and organic bilateral growth, as well as the role of tourism on the establishment of a reconciliatory relationship between the two nations, which have historically been at odds.