THE Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Manila expressed high hopes that by the end of 2017, Filipino visitors to South Korea will surpass total arrivals recorded in 2016.
“Last year more than 2,200 Filipinos from 32 different corporate groups visited [our country],” KTO Manila Office Director Park In-shik said during the Korea Road MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) event recently held in Makati City.
Park also happily announced that as of early April this year, more than 1,500 Filipinos from 27 firms and corporations have already visited South Korea.
According to him, the projected increase in the number of Filipino tourists is achievable, noting that the KTO is doing “in-house seminars in companies”.
“We brief them about our incentive tours, and we support group tours through Philippine local travel agencies,” Park added.
He noted that South Korea has now transformed from being a new destination “to a must-try travel experience for Filipino travelers”.
“There is a wealth of destinations featuring unique attractions and venues for visitors. The Korea MICE Night 2017 is one of our efforts that aim to promote Korea as a highly competitive MICE destination,” he added.
Added value
FOR his part, KTO Manila Assistant Manager John Christopher Bonifacio said their records are just based on Filipino tourists statistics recorded by the travel agencies, and not those who traveled on their own.
“That is why we worked hard in our Korea MICE campaign for travel agencies and other companies to be aware of this,” he told the BusinessMirror in an interview.
Bonifacio said it is advantageous for Filipino travelers, especially those from corporate groups, as “we give more value to what you are paying for the tours.”
He was referring to KTO’s support guidelines for Philippine local travel agencies to help give their clients a lucrative incentive tour experience in South Korea.
Groups composed of more than 10 people staying for more than two nights in South Korea will be provided items and services, ranging from souvenirs to subsidies commensurate with the group size.
The KTO assistant manager reiterated that from January to mid-April alone, South Korea has already welcomed 1,500 Filipino tourists, “which means it is more than half of what was recorded in 2016—and we are not yet even in the middle of the current year”.
With such a good start, Bonifacio expressed hopes that they are off to a good start in 2017 when it comes to tourist arrivals.
“We expect the bulk of tourist arrivals to happen in December [and toward the end] of the year. We all know companies will be identifying workers who would be reaching their targets, and eventually be availing themselves of their travel incentives,” he explained.
“Just imagine, if we will have 350 [visitors] every month—that would be more than double of what we achieved last year,” Bonifacio emphasized.
Among other destinations, he further explained, South Korea is “a more industrialized country, with an interesting culture. [It has] four distinct seasons, good food and tops when it comes to cosmetics”.
“Of course, how can we overlook the K-pop culture? Most of us are hooked in Korean dramas,” the KTO official noted, adding that one way to promote South Korea or its tourist spots are through the highly popular TV shows.
“The way they promote Korea is through ‘Korea-novelas’. When you go there, it generates instant nostalgia,” he said.
MICE road show
The special KTO MICE road show was organized association with regional tourism boards of Seoul, Gyeonggi, Busan, Gyeongsangnamdo and Jeju. Key MICE travel agents and corporations were invited to the event to network and seek possible synergies with South Korea travel and service providers.
The main attraction of the evening was the nonverbal performance of the Korean group Bi-Seul, which engrossed the audience in traditional Korean dancing style.
Also, Korea Tourism Honorary Ambassador Sue Ramirez shared her Korea trip experience and entertained guests with a Korean song.
The road show started with a travel mart, where 13 Korean exhibitors showcased their new products and offerings for the Filipino travel trade.
In addition, three regional tourism boards from Seoul, Gyeonggi, as well as Busan introduced their convention centers and hotels, then displayed MICE assets of South Korea.
During the travel mart, more than 80 travel agencies and companies met suppliers and regional tourism bodies, while they received new product information and South Korea’s MICE offerings.
An evening function, the Korea MICE Night 2017 comprised of presentations and testimonials about Korea as a top MICE destination.
For more details about the corporate incentive group support for travel agencies, e-mail Korea Tourism Organization Manila Office at ktomanila@gmail.com.