South Korea continues to step up its tourism promotion efforts in 2019.

According to statistics from the Korea Tourism Organization, in the first five months of 2019, South Korea welcomed over 215,500 Vietnamese tourists – a 32.3% increase compared to the same period last year. This shows that South Korea remains a favorite destination for Vietnamese people.

To attract even more Vietnamese tourists to South Korea, in the second half of 2019, KTO Vietnam will organize various tourism promotion activities specifically for the Vietnamese market. Typical activities include: Organizing cultural exchange events to promote Korean tourism; actively participating in international tourism fairs; and collaborating with leading Vietnamese travel companies in campaigns to build and develop sales of Korean tourism products, etc.

Summer is always the time when South Korea welcomes a large number of international tourists who come to visit and experience its unique cultural festivals. This year, many attractive festivals blending traditional and modern elements will be held in the latter half of the year, such as: the Buyeo Seodong Lotus Flower Festival (July 5-7, 2019) and the Boryeong Mud Festival (July 19-28, 2019) in Chungcheongnam-do Province; the Jangheung Water Festival (July 16-August 1, 2019) and the Muju Firefly Festival (August 31-September 8, 2019) in Jeollanam-do Province; the Busan Sea Festival at Haeundae, Gwangalli, Dadaepo, Songdo, and Songjeong beaches (August 2-6, 2019); and the Tongyeong Hansan Naval Battle Commemoration Festival in Gyeongsangnam-do Province (August 10-14, 2019)... Among them, the Boryeong Mud Festival is the most anticipated, with its grand scale and diverse activities such as mud bathing and wrestling. Mud baths, mud slides, mud spas, EDM music nights... These festivals promise to offer tourists many new and exciting experiences when traveling to South Korea this summer.

Good news for tourists traveling to South Korea in the latter half of this year: the Korea Tour Operator (KTO) will be releasing the Korea Tour Card Namhaean – a South Coast tourism card for visitors. This card offers many attractive privileges, including over 30 special offers exclusively for international tourists visiting South Coast locations such as Busan, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Jeollanam-do. With this card, tourists can explore countless exciting experiences in the region, such as cable car rides and tram rides, at unprecedented discounts.

Following the success of the "Korean Days in Hanoi 2017" program, this year, KTO Vietnam will organize the "Vietnam-Korea Culture and Tourism Festival 2019" in Ho Chi Minh City at the end of September 2019. The program is expected to involve relevant tourism agencies from both countries, showcasing new tourist destinations and tours, along with diverse cultural experiences. Notably, the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival will feature K-Pop artists from Korea and famous Vietnamese artists. Through this festival, KTO hopes not only to introduce to the people of Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding area the image of a friendly and hospitable South Korea with many scenic spots and exciting experiences, but also to introduce the unique cultural features of Vietnam to Korean people residing here, thereby creating a deeper cultural exchange between the two countries.

Besides large-scale promotional events like the 2019 Vietnam-Korea Culture and Tourism Festival, KTO also organizes many other events promoting Korean tourism in Vietnam, such as: a roadshow introducing Korean MICE tourism in July in Hanoi; a project for senior Korean tourism consultants from June to December in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; the Korea Travel Awards 2019 ceremony in December in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and many other activities.

In addition to events organized by KTO, KTO will actively participate in international tourism fairs such as: the Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair - ITE HCM 2019 (September 5-7, 2019), the Cambodia International Tourism Fair - CTM 2019 (October 11-13, 2019), and the Can Tho International Tourism Fair VITM 2019 (November 29-December 1, 2019). These international tourism fairs always provide opportunities for KTO to connect Korean and Vietnamese travel agencies, and Korean and Cambodian travel agencies, to cooperate in building and developing sales of high-quality Korean tourism products, as well as introducing new Korean tourism information and unique experiences to the people of Vietnam and Cambodia.

An indispensable activity of KTO is its collaboration with Vietnamese travel companies in campaigns to build and develop sales of Korean tourism products according to seasons: Summer Campaign (June to September), Autumn Campaign (late September to November), and Winter Campaign (late November 2019 to January 2020). In particular, in the first week of September – as part of the 2019 Summer Campaign – KTO will organize the "Week of Welcoming Vietnamese Tourists in Korea" program with discounts and diverse welcome activities at airports in Korea for selected groups from Vietnamese travel companies, promising to bring many joys and surprises to tourists. Each campaign introduces tourists to high-quality South Korea tour packages, each with its own unique seasonal characteristics, contributing to diversification and providing tourists with more tour options to choose from.

Mr. Park Jong Sun, Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organization's Representative Office in Vietnam, stated: “The impressive growth rate of Vietnamese tourists visiting Korea in recent years confirms that Vietnam has been and continues to be one of Korea's key tourism markets, playing a very important role in increasing the number of international tourists to Korea. I believe that in the future, with convenient travel between the two countries and extensive exchanges in many fields, Korea will continue to welcome a large number of Vietnamese tourists with high growth rates. And Korea will always strive to introduce new information about Korea and its people to the Vietnamese people, as well as improve the quality of tourism services to bring convenience and satisfaction to Vietnamese tourists when traveling in Korea.”

The Anh