A series of events preparing for the resumption of South Korea-Vietnam tourism.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic severely impacting global tourism in general and Korean tourism in particular, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam has gradually shifted its activities for promoting and marketing Korean tourism to online platforms and utilizing digital technology.

From November 24th to 27th, the largest MICE tourism fair in Korea, KOREA MICE EXPO 2020 (KME 2020), was organized online by KTO with various activities such as introducing MICE tourism in Korea and connecting Korean tourism businesses with major tourism companies in Vietnam.

This event was attended by more than 200 tourism agencies and organizations in the MICE tourism sector of South Korea. In Vietnam, 23 major travel companies such as Vietravel, Hanoi Tourism, Saigontourist, Ben Thanh Tourist… along with KTO participated in KME on November 24th and 26th, 2020.

As part of a series of activities aimed at reconnecting tourism exchanges between Vietnam and South Korea, the Korea Night 2020 program was also organized with the participation of nearly 40 press and media outlets and 70 travel companies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The program introduced outstanding MICE tourism spaces in South Korea, new destinations in South Korea, and especially the promotional and marketing activities of KTO in the current market recovery phase.

“In the coming period, KTO will intensify its promotional activities in Vietnam to revive the market and work alongside travel companies as soon as international tourism reopens,” said Mr. Park Jong Sun, Chief Representative of KTO.

In recent years, Vietnam has consistently been a key market for South Korean tourism. According to KTO statistics, the number of Vietnamese tourists visiting South Korea reached over 457,000, a growth of over 40% compared to 2017. By 2019, this number had risen to over 553,000, an increase of over 20% compared to 2018. These figures highlight the importance of the Vietnamese market to South Korean tourism. Conversely, South Korea has also become the second most important market, after China, for Vietnamese tourism.

Lan Oanh