Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport bustles with outbound travelers, Sept. 27. Yonhap

Korea's tourism industry anticipates an increase in the number of travelers visiting China following the neighboring county's decision to allow visa-free entry for Koreans.

China announced, Friday, that it will waive visa requirements for visitors from Korea and eight other countries, allowing stays of up to 15 days for purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, or transit.

This is the first time China has included Korea in its visa waiver list, which will remain in effect from Friday through the end of next year.

"China, along with Japan and Southeast Asia, accounted for a significant proportion of Korea's outbound travelers," said an official at Hana Tour, Korea's largest travel agency. The official noted that the travel agency anticipates an increase in demand for tours to China due to the reduced time and cost associated with obtaining Chinese visas.

Before the exemption, obtaining a visa for China cost at least 60,000 won ($43) and typically took about a week, even for a low-cost, single-use group visa, according to industry sources.

The policy could attract Koreans in their 20s and 40s, who have been less interested in traveling to China. Until now, most travel products to China have targeted older travelers aged 50 to 70, who prefer group tours and rely on travel agencies for visa issuance services.

"The reservation rate for Chinese tourist destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu will increase, especially among young people who have been burdened by the need to obtain visas," an official at Kyowon Tour said.

For instance, Mongolia also saw a rapid increase in international visitors in their 20s and 30s since introducing a visa-free entry policy, the official said.

"In addition to our existing offerings to regions such as Zhangjiajie and Mount Baekdu, we will strive to develop themed tour products that cater to young travelers and families," said an official at Yellow Balloon, another major travel agency in Korea.

Mode Tour plans to enhance its offerings for visits to Kunming and Lijiang, popular winter destinations in China, and expand its lineup to include major cities.

Even before the visa waiver announcement, demand for travel to China had been on the rise recently.

Hana Tour reported a 112 percent increase in group tourists to China in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, and a 19 percent increase from the previous quarter.

Mode Tour said approximately 44,000 travelers visited China through the agency in the third quarter, marking a 138 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization's analysis of data from China's National Bureau of Statistics, approximately 4.35 million Koreans visited China in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak. Last year, that number dropped to 1.29 million, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reflecting the ongoing effects of the pandemic.