by Shrutee K/DNS
Mumbai,
12th April, 2019: Focused
on promoting South Korea amongst general and business tourists and travelers in
India, Korea Tourism Organization
(KTO), announced a two-day experiential festival ‘Korea Festival 2019’ in
Mumbai. The festival which has equal to offer for regular tourists as well as
for travel trade in India. For
its travel trade partners, KTO is organizing Tourism Travel Mart and Korea Night - a B2B initiative for Indian tour
operators and other stakeholders to network and engage with key Korean delegation.
Guests will get an opportunity to interact with nine Destination Management
Companies and four Regional Tourism Organizations viz. Gimhae City (the land where Indian Princess Heo married the Korean King),
Gyeonggi Tourism Organization (the region to which Dematerialized Zone belongs),
Incheon Airport (the winner of best airport worldwide by ACI) and Jeju Tourism Organization (the only Island
amongst the New 7 wonders of Nature), as well as film commissions including
Korean Film Commission & Industry
Network which represents all 12 film commissions of Korea and Seoul Film Commission, known to extend
support to filming projects in Seoul. The nine destination travel companies
present will help Indian tour operators understand more about the opportunities
presented by South Korea.
For
the general public and travel enthusiasts of Mumbai, the Culture and Tourism Festival will take place from 13th-14th April, 2019
at High Street Phoenix in Mumbai. This two-day extravaganza will exhibit
the experiences across food, culture, music, tourism, etc. that South Korea
offers. Alongside, a Korea Movie Weekend
is also being organized by Korea Culture Centre at PVR Juhu, Mumbai. The
key attractions for visitors at the festival include performances by highly
sought-after Korean artists including In2it,
AlexandrA, Queen and Gamblers Crew.
Visitors will also have an opportunity to experience traditional Korean costume
- Hanbok wearing, name stamping in Korean alphabet Hangeul, mask painting, face painting, food tasting of Korean
signature dishes like Bibimbap (rice dish) and Sujeonggwa (the cinnamon drink) and
local Korean snacks sampling organized by AT Centre. Designated
zones like the Hallyu Zone, Performance Zone, Experience Zone, VR &
Caligraphy Zone, Photo Zone, Game Zone, Food Zone, Regional Tourism Zone and
Redemption Zone will further enhance and give one an opportunity to simply ‘Imagine Your Korea’. The festival is
open to all with free entry. Indian travel agents will be present at the event
and will contribute with special offers
on the Korea travel packages. The visitors can take away free K-Fest
merchandise by taking stamp tour at RTO Zone.
As
a part of the festival and the initiative to promote South Korea as a tourist
destination in India, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is being signed
between KTO and Outbound Tour Operators
Association of India (OTOAI) to significantly boost outbound tourism from
India to South Korea with special focus on MICE. Through the MOU, OTOAI will
prioritize South Korea as a Focus
Country for 2019. KTO and OTOAI will
together organize multi-city seminars to increase awareness about general
tourism as well as MICE tourism to South Korea. The signing of the MoU is being
followed with the Launch of a Guidebook
titled ‘Indian Friendly Restaurants in Korea’. The book is being launched
with the aim to address the food concerns of Indian tourist in South Korea with
a list of restaurants suitable to the Indian palate. Speaking
on the launch of the Korean Festival 2019 in Mumbai, Mr. Kwon Jong Sool, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, said, “India has always been an important country
for us. South Korea has immense to offer in terms of tourism for regular
travelers as well as the MICE market. We believe there is tremendous untapped potential
and this two-day festival will help us garner interest and create more
awareness about South Korea amongst Indian travelers. We will continue to
invest in promoting Korea for Indian travelers and this MoU reinstates our
attempt in doing so. We look forward to a long-standing partnership with the OTOAI
in making Korea a first choice for India travelers.”
Also
present at the event, Mr. Park Jeong Ha,
Executive Vice-President, KTO International Tourism Division further added,
“We are very pleased to host the Korea
Culture and Tourism Festival in Mumbai, the center for economy and tourism
industry in India. The festival will allow Indians to feel and experience
traditional as well as modern Korean culture. The number of Indians travelling to South Korea is on
the rise. Around 100,000 Indians visited South Korea in 2018 and the numbers
are growing with an average rate of 10-15% year on year. With our New Southern
Policy being emphasised by President Mr. Moon Jae In, we are positive that India will be
one of the important markets to drive growth in terms of tourist numbers."
About KTO: Korea Tourism Organization New Delhi Office is
the branch office of KTO. It was established in May 2008 to market South
Korea's multi-faceted appeal as a premier tourist destination to India and its neighboring
countries. www.visitkorea.in
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