Korea Tourism Organization Boosts Local Economy with Large Tourist Groups and K-Beauty Festival

Foreign tourist arrivals are no longer evaluated solely by numbers. The key indicators of tourism competitiveness now include where visitors go, how long they stay, and how much they spend in local markets.

In response, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is focusing its inbound tourism policies on boosting local consumption through various initiatives, including attracting large corporate incentive tour groups, creating regional cooperation networks connecting airports with shopping and leisure, and utilizing K-pop fandom in local tourism campaigns, as well as launching the K-Beauty Festival.

A notable achievement is the successful attraction of a large incentive tour group from China. The KTO recently secured a group of 5,000 employees and agents from the Chinese liquor company Wuliangye Group. They will visit Jeju and Busan in two groups of 2,500, taking a large cruise ship, by early next month. This marks the first result since the KTO formed a strategic partnership with Adora Cruises, China's largest cruise line, in March.

The KTO has been marketing to expand domestic port destinations, including Busan and Yeosu, targeting the Chinese corporate incentive tourism market. It has particularly focused on regions in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, where six major liquor companies are concentrated, conducting tailored sales efforts that have led to this large influx of tourists.

The KTO is also working to connect foreign visitors' travel routes to local consumption.

The KTO's Daegu-Gyeongbuk branch recently signed a multi-party agreement with Korea Airports Corporation at Daegu Airport, as well as with The Hyundai Daegu, Hyundai City Outlet Daegu, Lotte Outlet Isiapolis, and Daegu Casino, to launch joint marketing tailored for foreign visitors. The goal is to create a 'one-stop consumption ecosystem' that encompasses shopping and leisure, centered around regional airports.

As the KTO leads the distribution of foreigner-exclusive coupon books and hospitality events, Daegu Airport will support food and beverage vouchers, while major shopping venues and casinos will offer discounts and meal vouchers as tangible benefits.

To disperse tourism demand concentrated in the metropolitan area, the KTO is also intensifying its regional tourism strategy using K-content.

The KTO will launch the 'BIAS (Be In Artists' Scenes)' campaign by the end of November, promoting regional tourism alongside global K-pop artists. BIAS, a term used among overseas fans, refers to their 'favorite artist.' Artists like EXO's Kai and Sehun (Suncheon), MONSTA X (Gyeongju), Stray Kids (Busan), and Tours (Gangneung) will showcase the attractions of the regions they visit to fans worldwide.

Notably, this campaign tightly integrates sales networks. Major online travel platforms like NOLU Universe, Creatrip, and Klook will sell experiential products linked to filming locations, supported by the Korea Tourism integrated platform 'Visit Korea (VISITKOREA).' The aim is to convert the enthusiasm of fans visiting places their favorite artists have been into actual inbound tourism and local travel spending.
A large-scale marketing campaign targeting the rising beauty consumption among foreign tourists has also begun. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the KTO held the opening ceremony for the '2026 Korea Beauty Festival' on June 24 at Haiker Ground in Seoul, officially launching efforts to attract foreign visitors with K-beauty until September 30.

According to the Korea Tourism Data Lab, foreign tourists' spending in the beauty sector reached 843.3 billion won last year, a 38% increase from the previous year. To connect this beauty demand to actual visits and spending, the KTO has appointed actress Hyeri as a promotional model and gathered a variety of K-beauty content, including makeup, hair, and wellness.

On June 25, the KTO hosted a business consultation meeting with 39 travel industry representatives from 16 countries and 48 beauty and medical industry participants, while also running a special exhibition of over 800 beauty tourism products through nine global travel platforms, including Klook and Trip.com.

Park Sung-hyuk, President of the KTO, stated, "K-pop fandom has a strong motivation to visit places their favorite artists have been, and Korea is emerging as a Glowcation destination on global social media. Through tourism marketing that encompasses large-scale MICE attraction, K-content, and beauty festivals, we will convert global interest into inbound tourism and tangible local consumption."



* This article has been translated by AI.

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