Korea Tourism Organization’s (KTO) new perks for both incentive groups and corporate meetings bode well for the Philippines considering that nearly all business events from the market to South Korea are incentive programmes.
The new offer takes the place of the support programme released in March wherein corporate meetings were supposed to get more perks than incentive trips.
At last week’s road show
KTO Manila assistant manager John Christopher Bonifacio said during the Korea MICE roadshow last week that incentive groups from the Philippines are expected to more than double this year, from last year’s excess of 2,500 pax from 29 companies.
Travellers from the Philippines – now South Korea’s top market in South-east Asia – are undaunted by North Korea’s recent posturing about armament.
In January to April alone, South Korea welcomed 1,500 pax from over 19 companies in the Philippines, excluding those that were not reported by travel agencies.
Bonifacio shared that many incentive groups are small but there also are a growing number of bigger groups from 200 to 300 pax, and incentive movements from the Philippines peak around Christmastime.
Asked why there are fewer corporate meetings from the Philippines, Bonifacio explained that there is the misconception that “it is expensive to hold conferences in South Korea”,
But that is about to change as there are now enquiries on attending beauty, technology and other expositions in South Korea.
“They don’t hold the conferences, but they are attending conferences there”, he said.
Most of the business events come from Manila but Bonifacio said KTO Manila plans to campaign in Cebu, its second biggest source market in the Philippines, in the second quarter of this year.
