The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization are hosting a mega fam tour, inviting 100 major travel agencies from China to develop regional tourism products centered around six domestic regional airports. The tour runs until September 15.
Beginning on September 8, the fam tour includes 112 participants, including representatives from the top 100 Chinese travel agencies and media invited by the Korea Tourism Organization's overseas offices. Participants from various regions in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, and Chengdu, are divided into six teams to visit key cities such as Gyeongju, Gimhae, Daejeon, Samcheok, Jeju, and Cheonan, following the immigration routes of the regional airports.
On September 12, participants visited the UNESCO World Heritage site of Andong's Hahoe Folk Village to experience local culture, including the 'Seonyu Jullbul Nori' performance. A representative from a travel agency in eastern China remarked, "The route that allows direct entry through regional airports, bypassing the metropolitan area, offers a unique appeal to local consumers in China, allowing them to experience local cuisine, nature, and traditional culture. We will quickly launch new travel packages based on the unique regional content discovered during this tour."
The Korea Tourism Organization plans to develop over 100 new group travel packages linked to regional airports as a result of this fam tour. Additionally, they will provide promotional content for each airport and secure regional tourism interpreters to assist Chinese travel agencies in product development.
This initiative follows the Ministry's announcement on September 10 regarding the establishment of five major tourism zones centered around regional airports. The goal is to expand the entry points for inbound tourists from Incheon and Gimpo airports to regional airports.
The Ministry plans to collaborate with relevant agencies, local governments, and the Korea Tourism Organization to develop a mid-term plan for 2027 to 2030 for each tourism zone. They aim to foster super-regional tourism zones that transcend individual administrative areas and connect tourism at the five regional airports with the metropolitan area and Jeju.
Furthermore, on September 11, the Korea Tourism Organization held a B2B travel mart at the Andong International Convention Center, where seven local governments from Gangwon, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Daegu, Jeonbuk, Chungbuk, and Chungnam introduced regional tourism content and specialized courses linked to regional airports with direct flights to China. During the subsequent consultation session, Korean local governments and travel industry representatives engaged in approximately 700 business consultations with major Chinese travel agencies, online travel agencies (OTAs), media, and influencers, resulting in 79 contracts being finalized.
During the 'Korea-China Travel Industry Exchange Night' held the same day, Park Seong-hyeok, president of the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, "Regional airports serve as a new gateway for foreign tourists to experience the diverse attractions of various regions in Korea. We will actively support this exchange to ensure it leads to the development of high-quality, stay-oriented regional tourism products based on regional airports."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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