Online 'Seoul International Travel Mart' until 27th ... Expecting Tourism Demand Post-COVID

Seoul City Hosts Real-Time Video Meetings Between 1,200 Domestic and International Tourism Buyers and Sellers
VR Tours of Seoul Attractions Including Gyeongbokgung Palace and Recruitment for 257 Jobs... Promotion of Seoul Medical Tourism Also Included

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold the country's largest tourism business event, the '2020 Online Seoul International Travel Mart,' for three weeks from the 6th to the 27th. About 1,200 domestic and international tourism industry participants invited by the city will take part.

Now in its sixth year, the Seoul International Travel Mart is a representative international tourism expo where the city invites over 100 overseas travel agencies annually to connect with domestic small and medium-sized travel agencies that find it difficult to promote overseas on their own, supporting the development of overseas sales channels.

Starting with 490 tourism companies from 14 countries in its first year in 2015, last year it grew to include 1,422 companies from 31 countries, becoming a leading domestic tourism business platform.

To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the city decided to hold this year's event entirely online and established the 'Seoul International Travel Mart Comprehensive Online Platform' applying the latest digital technologies. Here, overseas tourism industry buyers and domestic tourism industry sellers meet in real-time via video calls to discuss Seoul tourism products in online business meetings.

Visitors can also take VR (virtual reality) tours of five tourism courses featuring must-visit attractions and tourism products in Seoul, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jogyesa Temple Templestay. An online job fair connecting 56 domestic and international tourism and MICE companies (46 domestic, 10 overseas) with a total of 257 jobs will also be held.

The city plans to prepare for the resumption of international travel through this large-scale online tourism expo. Despite the COVID-19 situation this year, more overseas tourism companies are participating than last year, confirming new possibilities for the recovery and revitalization of the tourism industry, according to Seoul city officials. This year, 197 overseas travel agencies from 39 countries are participating, up from 192 agencies from 30 countries last year.

Meanwhile, during this period, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, together with the Seoul Tourism Organization, will also hold the 'Seoul International Travel Mart for Medical Tourism 2020' and the 'Seoul Medical Tourism International Forum'?the largest specialized business events in the medical tourism sector in Korea?online. About 140 companies from 27 overseas countries and approximately 160 domestic medical institutions and medical tourism agencies will participate.

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