After a bad year, S. Korea tourism industry targets MICE tourists
By Zsarlene B. Chua
WHILE last year was pretty turbulent for the South Korean tourism industry, with the MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus) wreaking havoc during the second quarter, it seems that Asia’s fourth largest economy will be seeing better days ahead with its tourism office expecting around 16.5 million tourists in 2016.
In 2015, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) lowered its tourist target from 15.5 million to 15 million due to the viral outbreak which left 35 people dead and thousands in quarantine. Things turned out worse than expected — data from the KTO Web site showed that the country welcomed just 13.2 million visitors, a 6.80% decline from 2014.
Now, the country is making up for lost time as it focuses on strengthening the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) market which an official said comprises 10% of the whole industry.
And while the Chinese market remains the biggest (around 40%) in terms of MICE tourism, the Philippines is still considered as an emerging market.
“We think that the Philippines is still one of the emerging markets for the Korean MICE industry, that’s why we’re still focusing on attracting incentive groups,” Jinho Park, manager of the Manila office of the Korea Tourism Organization, told reporters during the incentive night on Sept. 6 at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.
South Korea welcomed 1,500 MICE tourists from the Philippines last year and is now focused on doubling that to achieve the 2016 target for the Philippine market.
In 2014, the country welcomed 3,400 MICE-ers from the Philippines.
“If we didn’t have the MERS-CoV virus [outbreak] last year, we might have achieved more than 3,000 [MICE attendees]. So we have no choice but to arrange the aim a bit lower, comparing to the normal situation,” he said, before adding that while they are trying to attract “big conventions and international meetings in Korea” he thinks they “still need more time to attract big groups.”
“So now we’re focusing on attracting [corporate tourists] here,” he said.
Aside from attracting more MICE tourists, Mr. Park said that they also want to promote other areas in the country as tourists tend to “only stay in Seoul or in Gyeonggi (the province around Seoul).”
“We want to scatter these tourists to many various cities,” he said before adding that they are “strategically developing tour packages” which will include Busan, Gyeongsang province, and Chungcheong province, among others.
(If the popularity of the film, Train to Busan, is anything to go by — the film has already grossed $80 million internationally — South Korea should expect an onslaught of tourists to the port city.)
Mr. Park described the Chungcheong province as suitable for niche markets, as the site contains quite a few Catholic churches.
The organization is also keen on promoting the winter season among Filipinos.
“We want to promote several tour packages, including a ski tour in the winter season,” he said.
