Korean Air has launched direct flights between Seoul and Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province to meet the increasing travel demand of tourists, tourism authorities in Guizhou said Tuesday.

The first flight took off at 9:35 pm (local time) on Monday from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, capital of the Republic of Korea, and landed at Longdongbao airport in Guiyang four hours later, said an official with the Guizhou Provincial Tourism Development Commission.

The route will be operated three times per week, with flights from Seoul to Guiyang on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the returned trip the following day, said the official.

It was the company's second direct air route to Guiyang, after it launched one between the city and Jeju Island last year.

According to the commission, around 50,000 tourists from Guizhou travel to Republic of Korea every year, and the province receives 5,000 Korean tourists annually.