Travel to South Korea on the increase

South Korea, already a popular destination for Chinese tourists, is expected to see even more despite an outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome in May.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in Beijing on Wednesday that Seoul experienced many difficulties during the MERS outbreak, but now it's a safe city for everyone to visit. Park is on a promotional campaign in China.

The number of Chinese visitors, who accounted for 43 percent of South Korea's inbound tourism market last year, should return to its average level before the MERS outbreak by October, he said.