The 1st Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo Concludes Successfully Amid Global Attention

‘Marine Leisure as the Ocean New Deal Industry of Jeju Tourism’... Pre-registrations from 8 Countries Including the US, Japan, and Malaysia

From Static Online Expo to Interactive Dynamic Expo... Four Themed Conferences Lay the Foundation for the Ma

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Chang-won] The 1st Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo, held to foster the marine leisure tourism industry?recently gaining attention as a blue ocean sector?as Jeju’s new growth engine, successfully concluded amid global interest.

Under the theme “Marine Leisure, Jeju Tourism’s Ocean New Deal Industry,” the expo took place on the 15th and 16th at KCTV Jeju Broadcasting. It was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, and organized by the Jeju Marine Leisure Association and the Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo Organizing Committee.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, the expo was scaled down and shifted to a non-face-to-face format through real-time live streaming. Despite the challenging circumstances, the high level of global interest via online participation confirmed the potential for future expos.

Representatives from around the world sent online video messages wishing for the expo’s success, as they could not attend in person.

On the opening day, the 15th, Roh Min Dahuri, former Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia; Dong Yunhu, Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; and Nagai Shoichi, CEO of Zen Plaza Kawaba Co., Ltd. from Japan, congratulated the expo’s opening.

Many notable figures from inside and outside the province also showed support through video messages. Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Moon Sung-hyuk, Jeju Provincial Council Chairman Jwa Nam-soo, and National Assembly member Wi Seong-gon expressed their hopes for the leap forward of Jeju’s marine leisure industry in their welcoming remarks.

▲Strong Interest from Overseas Visitors of Eight Nationalities

The organizing committee, taking on the challenge of an ‘untact’ (contactless) expo, recorded 1,131 pre-registrations, reflecting the enthusiasm of marine leisure enthusiasts. Notably, 181 overseas visitors from eight countries including the United States, Japan, Russia, and Malaysia also applied for pre-visit registration, demonstrating strong interest in the expo.

The committee made efforts to transform what could have been a static online expo into a dynamic event. They operated an ‘online industry exhibition’ consisting of 60 domestic and international marine leisure businesses, 12 related organizations, and 3 travel agencies, adding vibrancy to the expo.

Additionally, an online marine leisure photo contest was held to encourage active participation from visitors. The committee also distributed experience vouchers for local marine leisure facilities through a lottery among visitors who actively participated in various online side events.

▲A Time of Transformation in Tourism Trends… What Are the Strategies?

During the expo, four themed conferences were held simultaneously with the online exhibition, presenting various strategies to lay the foundation for the domestic marine leisure industry.

From the left in the photo: So Jae-min, Professor at Wonkwang Health University; Yang Young-kwan, Director of the Korea Regional Development Institute; Kim Young-nam, Professor at Jeju National University; Jung Hyun-min, President of the Korea Safety Association.

The conferences covered the following themes: ▲Section 1: Ocean New Deal Strategies for Korea’s Marine Leisure Industry ▲Section 2: Cooperation Methods Among Korea’s Marine City Local Governments ▲Section 3: Current Status and Revitalization Plans for Jeju Marine Leisure Tourism ▲Section 4: Activation Plans for Safety Culture in Domestic Marine Leisure Sports.

In Section 1, Professor So Jae-min from Wonkwang Health Science University presented, emphasizing that “for the development of the marine tourism industry, it is necessary to develop content tailored to regional characteristics rather than uniform tourism products.”

Yang Young-kwan, Director of the Korea Regional Development Institute, who presented in Section 2, suggested that “sustainable development of the marine leisure tourism industry can be achieved through cooperation rather than competition among local governments.”

In Section 3, Professor Kim Young-nam from Jeju University’s Department of Tourism Management pointed out that “marine leisure and fishing activities cannot coexist within the same fishing port, so it is necessary to separate zones for mutual coexistence.”

In Section 4, Jeong Hyun-min, President of the Korea Safety Association, advised that “to enjoy marine leisure sports more safely, which require a preventive approach, a large-scale campaign should be conducted to spread a safety culture.”

Chairman Ha Min-cheol of the organizing committee stated, “Although there were many regrets such as the event scale being reduced due to COVID-19 this year, thanks to the support from people around the world online despite difficult conditions, we were able to conclude successfully. We hope COVID-19 will end soon, and we will further improve the shortcomings to become a truly representative international marine leisure expo in the Asian region next year.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.