Marriott International will open 16 more hotels in South Korea over the next five years, its vice president said Friday, amid increasing demand from local residents as well as the steady growth of foreign visitors.

Vice President Ramesh Daryanani in charge of global sales in the Asia-Pacific region said the hotel chain operator will expand its establishments in the country's popular tourist areas, including the resort island of Jeju and the southeastern port city of Busan.

Marriott International currently runs 15 hotels in South Korea under eight luxury brands such as Sheraton and Westin. Of those, 12 are located in the capital city.

"We are expecting to open four hotels before the end of the first quarter of 2018," he said. "This is the testament of our confidence in the Korean market."

The announcement came as hotel chains have been waging tough competition in setting up more prestigious hotels in the country as short stays at five-star hotels in the downtown area have become increasingly popular among locals.

"Korea is also ranked as one of our top key outbound source markets," the vice president said. "Our global sales offices in Korea have recorded a 10 percent on-year growth for the past few years, which demonstrates the strong outbound momentum of the Korean travelers." (Yonhap)