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The city of Seoul conducted a familiarization tour ("fam tour") of the two cities of Seoul and Gwangju from October 17 to 22. The event presented the unique features and charms of Korea's tourism products by grouping items by themes, including Korean food, Korean traditional medicine, and other distinct categories. Thirty-three representatives of travel and media companies from Europe and North America were invited to participate in the tour that was designed as a part of the city's larger efforts to attract foreign tourists.
The first tour was followed by another fam tour of Seoul and North Gyeongsang Province that took place from October 24 to 29. The five-day event included a two-night tour of the historic Andong-Gyeongju region that allowed participants to experience the tastes and charms of Korean traditional culture.
Valuable opportunity for networking, sharing the latest trends and information
New Korean traditional herbal medicine experience offered
The Seoul-Gwangju joint fam tour program included a number of programs designed to highlight Korean cuisine, including hands-on kimchi making at the Namdo Traditional Cuisine Experience Park and a tour of the famous Boseong tea fields and a tasting event. The Seoul-Gyeongbuk program focused on touring historical sites of the Joseon and Three Kingdoms eras, such as the Andong Hahoe Folk Village and archaeological sites dating from the Silla period in historic Gyeongju.
In Seoul, attendees were treated to a four-day tour of Gyeongbok Palace, Insa-dong and the National Museum of Korea. A new Korean traditional herbal medicine experience program was created to enhance the potential of Korea as a medical tourism destination. A special event was also held at Travel Mart that enabled Korean and overseas tourism industry representatives to share information and form valuable business networks.
International Culinary Tourism Association to open office in Korea
Erik Wolf, president and CEO of the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA) and a participant of the fam tour, appeared on "Heart to Heart", a popular talk show on Arirang TV to laud Korean cuisine and highlight its potential for global expansion. President Wolf also expressed his desire to establish an ICTA office in Korea.
A spokesperson for the Seoul Convention Bureau said that "60 members of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce from the United States are already booked for the fam tour that will take place in March of next year," adding that "this event will greatly aid in attracting foreign tourists to Korea as well as in boosting the local economy."
Seoul participates in the London World Travel Market
Promotes 2010's core projects and the city's tourism industry
Seoul participated in the World Travel Market (WTM) event that was held from November 9 to 12 in London, United Kingdom, to promote the city of Seoul to visitors from the UK and the rest of the European Union.
Along with the Madrid International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) and the Berlin International Tourism Fair (ITB), the WTM is one of the world's top three tourism industry events. This year's exhibition featured over 5,000 companies from 187 countries around the world, and was attended by over 50,000 representatives from the tourism industry alone.
With WTM primarily targeting travel companies and general consumers, the majority of inquiries to Korea's booth dealt with tourism issues. While many participants recognized Korea as a world sports powerhouse thanks to the performance of global stars such as Park Ji-seong of Manchester United, overall awareness of Korean culture and history remained relatively low.
The Seoul Tourism Organization, which took part in the event through the joint booth operated by the Korea Tourism Organization, focused its marketing efforts on the city's tourism industry projects for 2010, including the "Make Seoul a Part of Your Visit Korea 2010" plan and "World Design Capital, Seoul 2010" program. A tasting event that offered visitors a chance to sample Korean traditional bibimbap attracted throngs of visitors to the booth, further heightening interest in Korea as a tourism destination.
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