Over 10,000 employees of a major Japanese funeral service company will visit South Korea between this fall and next spring, the state-run Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The unprecedented group of Japanese visitors will arrive in Seoul and Busan in a period spanning six months starting from October, KTO said.

The KTO and Busan Tourism Organization said they jointly attracted the largest number of travelers on the incentive tour program from Japan, with the first group scheduled to begin their itinerary on Oct. 16.

About 10,000 employees will visit the southern port city of Busan and its surrounding tourist attractions, including Tongyeong and Geoje, and 1,000 others opted for Seoul, they said.

In light of the group travel, tourism officials pledged to develop various programs to lure more travelers in the business sector.

“While most Japanese travelers prefer independent trips to South Korea, we will diversify content for incentive tours and international conferences to foster the emerging sector,” the KTO said. (Yonhap)