The Korea Tourism Organization is accelerating efforts to attract Indian tourists, a burgeoning market in the global tourism industry. The organization has successfully secured several large incentive travel groups, actively targeting the high-value inbound tourism sector.
According to the tourism organization, approximately 2,000 Indian tourists are set to visit Korea for incentive travel in September.
About 1,400 employees from the global health and wellness company Herbalife will visit Seoul and Gangwon Province from September 6 to 11. The Korea Tourism Organization's New Delhi office has been in continuous contact with Herbalife since 2024 to facilitate this group visit. A MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) presentation was held in Bengaluru, where the company is headquartered, to promote Korean tourism content and MICE support programs.
Initially, Herbalife considered Georgia as a potential incentive travel destination. However, during a pre-visit to Korea in June, discussions with tourism organization officials confirmed their strong support, leading to the final decision to choose Korea. Currently, over 90% of participants have completed their flight bookings, and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India is actively assisting with visa issuance.
Additionally, 465 employees from the Indian paint manufacturing and distribution company Birla Opus will visit Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from September 1 to 7. Following the tourism organization's support during their pre-visit, this group increased its initial participant count from 300 to 465 due to high satisfaction with the Korean tourism program.
Indian incentive travel groups are typically high-value tourists who prefer to stay in five-star hotels. Historically, Indian companies have favored Europe and Southeast Asia as primary MICE destinations. However, the rising popularity of K-culture has increased interest in Korea, with more major companies considering it as a new destination. According to a 2026 survey on the global popularity of Korean content, India ranked second among 30 countries with an 83.8% favorability rating.
Hong Hyun-sun, head of the Korea MICE Bureau at the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, "The average spending per foreign visitor attracted through incentive travel is $2,710, which is about 1.5 times higher than the average spending of regular tourists at $1,801. As India emerges as a key player in the MICE market, we plan to designate our New Delhi office as a dedicated hub for attracting corporate meetings and incentive tourism next year, and we will actively expand our marketing efforts through MICE roadshows in India to continue attracting large incentive travel groups."
The Indian outbound travel market holds significant growth potential. According to statistics from the Indian Ministry of Tourism, 32.71 million people traveled abroad last year. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) projects that the Indian outbound travel market will grow at an annual rate of over 11%, making it one of the fastest-expanding markets globally.
Notably, the demand for Indian incentive travel to Korea has shown a clear upward trend. Earlier this May, 650 employees from the leading Indian financial firm HDFC visited Korea. The number of Indian incentive travelers supported by the tourism organization is expected to reach 4,075 by the end of the third quarter, a 279% increase compared to the same period last year. With more medium to large groups scheduled to visit in the fourth quarter, the total number of visitors for the year is anticipated to exceed 10,000.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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