Targeting Japanese Tourists, 'K-Tourism Roadshow' Launches Full-Scale Promotion of Korean Tourism

The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 20th that it will hold the 'K-Tourism Festa' in Hiroshima and Fukuoka, key markets in the southwestern region of Japan, on the 21st and 22nd.

Lee Jaehwan, Vice President of Korea Tourism Organization (left), Kazutoshi Shinozaki, Kyushu Branch Manager of the Japan Travel Agency Association (center), and Lee Seonggwon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan Metropolitan City (right), are holding a campaign signing ceremony to attract Japanese tourists from the Kyushu region to Busan.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

원본보기 아이콘

The 'K-Tourism Festa' will be held on the 21st at the Hiroshima HBG Concert Hall and on the 22nd at the Fukuoka International Conference Center, each inviting about 1,000 local consumers. The event will feature a non-verbal 'Sachum' performance, promotion of the 2030 Busan Expo, and a talk show with Hallyu stars.

The organization plans to further enhance the recently improved atmosphere between the two countries ahead of Japan's Golden Week (April 29 to May 7), aiming to revitalize inbound travel to Korea.

Hiroshima was the second-largest gateway city for the southwestern Japan inbound market before COVID-19. However, direct flights between Korea and Hiroshima have not yet resumed since the pandemic. Ahead of the upcoming G7 summit in May and Japan’s downgrade of COVID-19 infectious disease classification, the organization is seeking ways to recover inbound tourism demand, including the reinstatement of air routes, through pre-event promotions.

Fukuoka is also a key hub for inbound tourism from Japan. About 50% of Japanese travelers from the Kyushu region visited Korea. Currently, 208 weekly flights have resumed, including 146 flights between Fukuoka and Incheon, 42 flights to Busan (including 13 international passenger ferries), and 4 flights to Daegu, transporting travelers. With the Korean government exempting Japan from the electronic travel authorization system (K-ETA) starting from the 1st, a full recovery of inbound tourism is expected.

On the 20th, the Korea Tourism Organization will hold a campaign signing ceremony with Busan City and the Kyushu branch of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) to attract Japanese tourists from the Kyushu region to Busan.

The signing ceremony will be attended by Lee Jae-hwan, Vice President of the Korea Tourism Organization; Lee Seong-gwon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan City; and Kazutoshi Shinozaki, Head of the Kyushu branch of JATA. The ceremony will take place at Hotel Nikko in Fukuoka, where they will sign an agreement to jointly promote the development of inbound tourism products.

The campaign will involve 10 major travel agencies affiliated with JATA, aiming to attract group tourists to Korea and develop travel products for visits to Busan. The Korea Tourism Organization and Busan City will support the travel agencies in product promotion and recruitment.

Lee Jae-hwan, Vice President of the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "Kyushu has excellent accessibility to Busan and a high demand for experiencing new aspects of Korea. We will do our best to attract inbound tourists by developing unique travel products. Taking advantage of the recent improvement in Korea-Japan relations, we plan to actively expand inbound tourism and private exchanges, and increase the possibility of Busan hosting the 2030 World Expo."

The Korea Tourism Organization is focusing on the geographical proximity of Japan and Busan to develop high value-added products that allow Japanese travelers to visit Korea using their own motorcycles or vehicles. In addition to attracting group and educational tours, travel products utilizing K-Style, K-Gourmet (gastronomy), and K-Content, which are popular among Japan’s MZ generation, are also being developed.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.