China's top travel agencies explore regional airports as gateways beyond Seoul

112 representatives from China's top 100 travel agencies visit South Korea

Six-day tour covers regional cities via local international airports

Initiative aims to develop differentiated tourism products outside Greater Seoul

A Korea-China tourism industry exchange evening [Korea Tourism Organization]

An initiative to draw international tourists beyond the Greater Seoul area and spread their itineraries across the country is moving into full swing, with plans to commercialize regionally linked tourism products based on on-site visits and industry exchanges.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced Monday they are running a mega familiarization tour for representatives of China's top 100 travel agencies through Tuesday, with the goal of developing six regional international airports into hubs for local tourism.

The tour, which began last Tuesday, drew a total of 112 participants — including travel agency officials and journalists — from across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Chengdu. Divided into six teams, participants followed actual arrival and departure routes through regional airports, visiting major cities in each zone: Gyeongju, Gimhae, Daejeon, Samcheok, Jeju and Cheonan. They also experienced local tourism resources firsthand to assess the distinctive character of regional travel tied to each airport. On Saturday, the group visited Hahoe Village in Andong to watch the traditional "Seonyu Julbul Nori" fire-on-water performance, exploring the area's unique cultural heritage.

A representative from a travel agency in China's Huadong region who took part in the tour said the itinerary — entering the country directly through regional airports and experiencing local cuisine, nature and traditional culture without passing through the capital area — would offer a highly differentiated appeal to Chinese consumers. "We will quickly launch new South Korea travel products that translate the original regional content we discovered on this tour into real bookings," the representative said.

The Korea Tourism Organization plans to develop more than 100 new group tour products linked to regional airports off the back of the familiarization tour. It will also secure promotional content and regional tourism interpreters for six airports — Gimhae, Daegu, Muan, Yangyang, Jeju and Cheongju — to support local travel agencies in commercializing their products.

In addition, a business-to-business travel mart held Friday at the Andong International Convention Center brought together seven South Korean local governments and Chinese industry players for about 700 consultations, resulting in 79 on-site contracts.

Korea Tourism Organization President Park Seong-hyeok said regional airports are "a new gateway for international tourists to discover the diverse charms of every corner of South Korea." He added that the organization would actively work to ensure the exchange does not remain a one-off event but leads to the development of high-quality, extended-stay regional tourism products routed through regional airports.

terry@heraldcorp.com