Tourism Organization Targets 1.4 Billion Indian Market with K-Culture Appeal

25-27, New Delhiseo Hanguk Gwangwang Festival

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 24th that they will hold the 'Korea Tourism Festival' in New Delhi to target the Indian market.

50th Anniversary of Korea-India Diplomatic Relations Event Poster. [Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

From the 25th to the 27th (local time), to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and India, the event will promote the charm of Korean tourism to local Indian travel industry professionals, journalists, and residents.

India, with a population of 1.4 billion, has a high economic growth rate of 6.9% (based on World Bank data from 2022-2023), and the average length of stay for Korean visitors is 12.6 days (2019 foreign tourist survey statistics), which is longer than the average stay of foreign tourists in Korea (6.7 days).

In recent years, interest in Korean content such as K-pop, dramas, and beauty through online video streaming services (OTT platforms) and social networking services (SNS) has steadily increased in India, and the favorable perception of Korea is also high, leading the Korea Tourism Organization to regard India as a potential market.

On the 25th, the organization will invite about 150 local Indian travel industry professionals, corporate representatives, and journalists to the 'Night of Korean Tourism' event to explain major projects such as the '2023-2024 Visit Korea Year' and conduct business consultations.

In particular, they plan to sign a business agreement with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which sells travel products to over 100 million Indian public institution employees, and develop and sell travel products to Korea.

Additionally, Anushka Sen, a representative pro-Korea actor and a mega influencer representing the Indian MZ generation, will be appointed as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism. They will also collaborate with Thomas Cook, India's largest travel agency, to develop Korean wave travel products.

On the 26th and 27th, the Korea Tourism Festival will be held at 'Gurgaon Ambience Mall,' the largest shopping mall in New Delhi. Performances of b-boying and taekwondo will be featured. A K-culture theme zone focusing on beauty and Korean cuisine will also be operated. Special promotions for Korean travel products and airline tickets will be held simultaneously.

Lee Young-geun, Director of International Marketing at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "As shown in a recent survey by the Indian travel agency Thomas Cook, Korea is a highly preferred tourist destination among Indians," adding, "We will do our best to attract 110,000 Indian tourists this year and achieve 300,000 visitors by 2027 through the development and marketing of Korean tourism products utilizing K-culture."

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