Seoul and Incheon Sign MICE Joint Marketing Agreement to Promote Regional Cooperation and Enhance Competitiveness

Joint Marketing Utilizing Unique Cultural Tourism Contents of Two Cities... Expanding Attraction of High-Value Tourists

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is joining hands with Incheon City to launch joint marketing efforts aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of attracting the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) industry, which has been hit hard by COVID-19.

According to Seoul City on the 4th, the city, Seoul Tourism Foundation, Incheon City, and Incheon Tourism Organization will hold a signing ceremony for 'Mutual Exchange of Joint Marketing' on Wednesday, October 5, at the Incheon Paradise Hotel. The agreement includes ?promoting domestic and international joint marketing to expand MICE attraction ?providing travel program subsidies for foreign participants of MICE events in both cities ?and cooperating on other necessary projects for joint MICE marketing.

Under the agreement, the two cities will carry out joint marketing utilizing each region's unique cultural and tourism content, develop and operate tourism and MICE products linked to this, aiming to enhance participant satisfaction through regional win-win cooperation and strengthen their attraction competitiveness.

First, Seoul City will participate with the MICE public-private cooperation body, 'Seoul MICE Alliance (SMA),' in specialized MICE exhibitions such as 'IMEX America' held in Las Vegas, USA, and 'ITB Asia' held in Singapore this month, conducting joint marketing activities. Additionally, online marketing including media advertisements and newsletters using MICE specialized media will be carried out, along with promotional trips (fam tours) introducing attractive spots in Seoul and Incheon to overseas MICE organizers and decision-makers.

Furthermore, companies conducting incentive travel programs linking the two cities with at least 10 foreign participants and staying one night or more in each city will receive necessary support through prior consultation. Since 2020, due to a significant decrease in foreign participants caused by COVID-19, Seoul City has adjusted the MICE support condition from a minimum of 50 foreign participants to 10. Next year, support conditions will be decided through consultation with the partner city, considering the demand for incentive travel.

Choi Kyung-joo, Director of the Tourism and Sports Bureau of Seoul City, said, “We have launched joint marketing to contribute to the early recovery of the tourism and MICE industry, which has been stagnant due to COVID-19, to strengthen the competitiveness of attracting MICE events, and to promote regional coexistence and development.” He added, “We expect a synergistic effect from the mutual cooperation between Seoul, a representative MICE city and dynamic metropolis, and Incheon, the gateway to the Republic of Korea.”

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