South Korea has started issuing 10-year multiple entry visas to Chinese tourists. This privilege will be offered to specialized professionals, according to China Daily.

According to South Korean Ministry of Justice, those eligible for the 10-year visa will be specialized professionals such as lawyers, professors or anyone with Master's degree or above. The application requirements for multiple entry visas will also be lenient reports said. The age restriction will now start at 55, changing the previous standard of 60 and above.

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An estimated 80 million potential applicants are eligible for the new multiple entry visas, according to The Yonhap News Agency.

On top of this great news, the length of stay for each visit will be extended from 30 days to 90 days.

With this latest development, South Korea becomes the latest country to further open its door to Chinese tourists. Chinese tourists contributed 1.6 percent of South Korean's GDP in 2015, generating around $22 billion of economic benefits in accommodation, transportation and shopping among other things.

The number of Chinese tourists in South Korea last year was estimated to reach 6.11 million according to China Central Television. This makes up more than 40 percent of all foreign visitors to South Korea. Most notable though is Chinese tourists' strong spending power.

Data from Korea Tourism Organization reveals that Chinese tourists spent $2,200 on average in South Korea last year. That is twice as the average of all foreign tourists. More so, the data reveals that 70 percent of Chinese tourists visit the country mainly for shopping, while 20 percent want to experience Korean Wave or the Korean Pop Culture. The remaining go to South Korea for plastic surgery and sightseeing.

TagsSouth Korean, South Korea-China Relations, 10-year multiple visa entry, visa, Chinese Tourists, South Korea Tourism