KTO accelerates Southeast Asia sales push
Leverages travel platform networks across 5 countries
Links budget carrier tie-up to K-pop performances
Promotes card perks with region's top banks
The Korea Tourism Organization is building a cooperation network with key local platforms in Indonesia and the Philippines, two markets that have sustained double-digit growth in visitors to South Korea this year. The initiative spans global travel platforms and financial networks, with the goal of creating a sustainable inbound tourism ecosystem.
The Korea Tourism Organization announced Monday that it conducted local sales activities in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, the Philippines, from Tuesday through Saturday to expand the inbound tourism market.
A total of 330,629 Indonesian visitors traveled to South Korea through September this year, up 23.4 percent from the same period a year earlier. The Philippines recorded 615,141 visitors to South Korea last year — the highest among Southeast Asian nations — and that figure has continued to climb, rising more than 15.6 percent year-on-year through September this year.
To sustain this growth in inbound demand and convert latent interest into actual visits, the organization forged partnerships with major local companies.
On Wednesday, the organization signed an MOU with Traveloka, a leading Southeast Asian online travel agency. The two sides plan to jointly attract 300,000 visitors to South Korea over the next two years by leveraging Traveloka's network across five countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.
On Friday, the organization signed an MOU with Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific Air. The two sides plan to pursue joint marketing tied to a large-scale K-pop performance scheduled in the Philippines in March next year, while also working to attract more independent travelers and boost routes to regional airports.
The organization also laid the groundwork for financial cooperation to support inbound tourism. It partnered with BCA, Indonesia's top private bank, to offer travel promotions and payment perks to BCA cardholders visiting South Korea. With BDO Unibank, the Philippines' largest financial group, it will launch joint marketing targeting family travelers. BDO participates in a visa-simplification program run by the embassy and the organization, and the partnership is expected to drive further demand by linking financial benefits with easier visa access.
Korea Tourism Organization President Park Sung-hyuk said the Southeast Asia sales activities were significant because they translated attention toward Korea into actual inbound demand through close collaboration with local companies. "We will not only expand the scale of inbound visitors through multilateral partnerships with global companies, including major airlines, but also drive qualitative growth — including sustainable revitalization of regional tourism and the creation of high-value demand," Park said.
terry@heraldcorp.com
