Gov ' t seeks to expand tourism services using smart tour card By Kim Seung - yeon SEOUL , April . 5 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korea ' s smart fare card for foreigners will be a great tool to offer more tailored support for visitors , the government said Wednesday , as the local tourism industry grapples with the fallout caused by a diplomatic dispute with China . Korea Tour Card , jointly developed by the government and Korea Smart Card Co . , has enjoyed a good reception from foreign travelers since it first went on sale in late January , with the sales tally reaching a little over 10 , 000 as of early April , according to the Visit Korea Committee , an affiliated body of the Ministry of Culture , Sports and Tourism . The rechargeable transportation card is available at vending machines located inside the Seoul Metro ( Line No . 1 - 4 ) , the Airport Railroad Express and convenience stores in Incheon International Airport for 4 , 000 won ( US $ 3 . 56 ) . Upon its successful launch , the government plans to use the travel data collected from the transportation card going forward to come up with a wider range of tour programs for inbound visitors with diverse cultural backgrounds and tastes , the committee said . " We plan to analyze the data so we can develop new tour courses for people from diverse places like Muslims , for example , and make meaningful recommendations for Southeast Asian tourists , " Park Hye - jung , an official at the Visit Korea Committee , said by phone . " It can be a good platform that can help fuel the tourism sector . " Currently , the committee has clinched partnerships with some 25 companies -- mostly in shopping and entertainment fields -- so as to offer discounts and other benefits to the special card holders . The committee said it is planning to expand partnerships to other businesses , particularly those related to art and culture , so that foreigners can be given more choices while they tour the country . The discount offer for art and culture venues is serviced only at two museums in Seoul at the moment . It will work to provide more benefits and services to lure foreigners to travel to provincial areas in the country , which will in effect help revitalize the regional economies , the committee added . elly @ yna . co . kr ( END )