Korea will hold mega roadshows in 25 cities to boost domestic tourism
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), will unfold its strategic marketing campaign through “mega roadshows” in 25 cities around the world in a bid to attract 20 million foreign visitors this year, the ministry announced, Friday.
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| A foreign national tries Korean traditional attire hanbok during the K-tourism roadshow at the Rockefeller Center in New York, July 24, 2023. (Source: Yonhap) |
The marketing scheme aims to nearly double Korea’s 11 million inbound travelers from 2023, which is 63 percent of the pre-pandemic levels at 17.5 million from 2019.
The mega roadshow is a large-scale marketing event that promotes global interest in Korean culture and the charms of Korean tourism.
Last year, Korea launched tourism roadshows in 15 cities around the world, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and New York.
This year’s reinforced plan covers 25 cities, including Paris, Atlanta, New Delhi, Ulaanbaatar, Sydney and Manila that will see K-tourism roadshows for the first time.
The mega roadshows will showcase more diverse and specialized marketing strategies jointly devised with the KTO’s overseas offices in 32 cities in 22 countries.
According to the ministry and the KTO’s analysis, Japan, China and neighboring Chinese-speaking countries have “mature markets” in Korea's inbound tourism. They have the lion’s share in the market with 5.71 million visitors last year, but their people's confidence to travel, which fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, has yet to be fully restored.
In response, the ministry will broaden its marketing target from female K-culture fans aged between 20s and 30s to men interested in esports and lifestyle, with plans to to hold roadshows in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka in March, and in Shanghai and Guangzhou from March to May.
Meanwhile, Southeast Asia is categorized as a “growing market,” which brought 2.67 million travelers last year, mostly in family groups, and shows a high post-pandemic recovery rate at 81.1 percent, the ministry said.
Against the backdrop, the ministry will present family-friendly travel programs focusing on Korean content and cultural experiences and present them in May at roadshows in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The Americas and Europe are considered “new markets,” according to the ministry. Around 2.62 million travelers from the regions visited Korea last year. These visitors who travel longer distances to reach Korea tend to stay for a longer period of time visiting multiple cities.
Thus, the ministry plans to form a joint package with neighboring Japan and present programs with widely themed activities, including templestay, hiking, vegetarian diets, remote work and art fairs.
The Middle East is a “high-value market.” Although only 31,000 inbound travelers came from the region last year, they spend over double the average inbound tourism expenditures, the ministry said.
In response, the ministry plans to improve the travel experience of Middle Eastern visitors by forming a consultative group of department stores, hotels, medical facilities and food and beverage industries that target luxury tourism.
Also, the KTO plans to launch tourism promotion centers in 10 countries that don’t have KTO’s overseas offices but show great potential in inbound tourism, including Sweden, Uzbekistan, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
The ministry and the KTO will hold a conference on Jan. 29 with travel agencies, local governments and regional tourism organizations to present their analysis of this year’s inbound tourism trends.
(Source: Korea Times)
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