Latest news with #SeoYoung-choong
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
New Korean pop culture space opens at Incheon Airport
A space promoting Korean culture, from K-pop to beauty, opened Thursday at Incheon Airport's Terminal 1 transportation center. The state-run Korea Tourism Organization launched HiKR Station, featuring different areas for creating K-pop-focused YouTube shorts using extended reality technology, taking photos against the backdrop of Korean landscapes and trying Korean makeup. 'The zone isn't just about promoting everything that's Korean. It's where we strategize delivering the best impression of Korea when foreign arrivals set foot here,' said Seo Young-choong, acting president of the KTO. 'We will continue to come up with ways to make Korea travel memorable,' Seo added. English-speaking staff are available at all times at HiKR Station, which is open free of charge from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, closing on the last Wednesday of every month. Through Monday, the HiKR Station will host dance performances and hand out souvenirs to raise awareness of its opening, according to the KTO. Other cultural establishments like the K-Culture Museum are also located in Terminal 1. The opening of HiKR Station at Incheon Airport has been prompted by the growing popularity of HiKR Ground, a hands-on experience zone advancing Korean culture from music to art at the KTO's Seoul branch in Jung-gu. The space, which opened in July 2022, has since drawn over 2 million visitors, much higher than the initial estimate by the KTO, the agency said.
Korea Herald
01-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Tourism to S. Korea stronger than expected in February
Chinese led latest on-year jump, as plans to diversify travel strategies underway Some 1.14 million tourists came to South Korea in February, a jump from both the same period last year and the month prior, indicating political disarray prompted by the country's short-lived martial rule in December was not as off-putting as expected for travelers. The 1.14 million total in February marks a 10.5 percent rise from 1.03 million a year earlier, and settles slightly above 1.12 million recorded in January. Chinese visitors made up one-third, or 341,000, of the 1.14 million, followed by Japanese at 224,000, Taiwanese at 120,000, Americans at 72,000 and Vietnamese at 51,000, according to the latest data from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization. Travel from China is slowly recovering to the prepandemic level seen in 2019 before COVID-19, which amounted to 453,000 in February that year. 'Compared to that, the 341,000 total in February this year seemed far behind, but it isn't actually,' a KTO official said, adding the gap is quickly narrowing in terms of the total number of travelers. The respective figures for all travelers to Korea for the month of February stood at about 1.2 million in 2019 and 1.14 million in 2025. 'And we have to factor in Chinese New Year,' the official said of the country's largest holiday season, which usually is linked to the highest number of cross-border trips. The holiday fell in February in 2019, but in January in 2025, meaning Chinese travel to Korea in February this year was expected to be much lower than the prepandemic figure in the same period. Earlier in the year, Seo Young-choong, the Korea Tourism Organization's acting president, warned of softening demand from China, describing the escalating US-China trade spat as weighing on consumer sentiment there and hindering the KTO's plans to attract Chinese travelers. The KTO has said it will push hard on themed tours to appeal to countries other than China, capitalizing on a growing international trend placing Korea as a destination for beauty treatments and food.
Korea Herald
03-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Tourism grows strongly in January
Tourist arrivals in January reach 1.12 million, a 27 percent increase from same period last year Close to 1.12 million tourists arrived in South Korea in January, a rise from the same period last year, showing that the fallout from the martial law declaration had not put people off visiting the country. The latest data from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization shows the number of arrivals in January this year rose 27 percent from the 881,000 recorded in January 2024. The figures are good start to the year, in which the organization is aiming for 20 million arrivals. At a press event last month, Seo Young-choong, the state-run KTO's acting president, unveiled measures aimed at riding out the impact of uncertainties following President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, lifted hours later. The KTO, Seo has said, will front-load the budget this year to sustain the momentum for tourism. Spending will focus on holding most of the KTO road shows in the first half of the year, a plan the state tourism company describes as key to an 'early travel boom.' The January tourist tally has emboldened KTO officials because it is slightly more than the 1.1 million arrivals of the same period in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the outlook for this year isn't all rosy, according to Seo, who cited the escalating US-China trade conflict as weighing on the KTO plan to attract travelers from China -- the country sending the largest number of tourists to Korea. Chinese made up one-third or 364,000 of the 1.12 million total arrivals in January. Last year, arrivals from China fell short of KTO projections largely due to weak Chinese consumer spending prompted by a slowing economy, Seo said. The intensifying trade row with the US could further dampen optimism, he added. In response, the KTO is betting on themed tours to appeal to countries other than China. The company plans to promote Korea as a stop to try foods and beauty treatments, something the country is increasingly getting spotlighted for, according to a KTO official. 'Korea has long been known for its variety of beauty treatments, and interest in its food has just gone global,' a KTO official said, noting that the Netflix reality cooking show 'Culinary Class Wars' boosted interest in Korea as a gastronomic destination. Influencers would be enlisted to promote themed tours, the official added. The KTO also plans to work with buyers in Singapore, the US and France on organizing 'luxury trips' to Korea including cruise tours. The KTO considers travel plans worth $5,000 and more as high-end.
Korea Herald
05-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea Tourism Organization eyes early tourism boom
Tourism body to focus on overseas road shows in first half of 2025 The Korea Tourism Organization said it will wrap up 14 of the 20 overseas road shows planned for this year by June to hasten the recovery of the tourism sector. 'Going forward, travel spending isn't rosy given the escalating US-China trade conflict,' said Seo Young-choong, the state-run KTO's acting president, during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, referring to potentially shrinking Chinese travel spending. China, which accounts for the largest number of foreign tourists to Korea, suffered weak consumer spending last year, Seo said, noting that led to a smaller-than-expected increase in the tourist tally. Last year's figure totaled 16.37 million, shy of the projected 20 million. Seo said holding most of the KTO road shows in the first half of this year was aimed at fostering an early travel boom. Of the 20 cities where the roadshows are planned, five are in China, another five in Japan, six elsewhere in Asia, three in the US and one in Germany. The roadshows will involve promoting Korea as a tourism destination to foreign tour agencies and locals there. The KTO said it will target those countries with themed tours, with food and beauty taking center stage in proposing Korea as a travel destination. 'Korea has long been known for its variety of beauty treatments and interest in its food has risen recently,' a KTO official said, adding influencers would be enlisted to promote such themes. The KTO also plans to work with foreign buyers in Singapore, the US and France over organizing 'luxury trips' to Korea including cruise tours. The KTO considers travel plans involving $5,000 and more as high-end. At Wednesday's press conference attended by over 200 government tourism officials, agencies and practitioners, officials from South Jeolla Province asked for more support from the KTO to boost travel to the region, which recently saw the deadly Jeju Air Flight crash in Muan County that killed all passengers on board. The provincial government is injecting cash into tour agencies close to bankruptcy prompted by declining travel, but that has not been enough, according to officials from the provincial government. Seo said his agency will proactively address difficulties faced by municipalities, rolling out a clearer road map soon. One hopeful sign for the industry, he added, is that Chinese tourists are increasingly traveling individually rather than in groups. The shift in travel patterns would work in the KTO's favor because it reduces Chinese authorities' sway over group travel packages.
