The delegate dinner on May 10 served a party of 4,000 from Joy Main
WITH support from local tourism boards and government stakeholders, Seoul welcomed its largest incentive group to date when 8,000 participants from China-based Joy Main Science & Technology visited the South Korean capital in May.
Because of the sheer size of the group, the participants were split into two batches, with the first visiting from May 4 to 9 and the second from May 9 to 13.
The event could generate an estimated 4.95 billion won (US$4.2 million) for the nation’s economy, according to the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO).
Seoul’s Joy Main victory was said to have been due to a collective effort between the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Seoul mayor Park Won Soon when they attended the 2015 Beijing Seoul Road Show in August last year.
Seoul city and STO also provided a range of support including coordinating early-stage negotiations, organising site visits for Joy Main, making logistical arrangements which ended up requiring 34 flights, 16 hotels and 100 buses, and providing financial subsidies, airport greeting messages and welcome kits.
Another instance of stakeholder support was a delegate dinner organised by the Seoul metropolitan government, STO, KTO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and other organisations.
Several popular attractions in Seoul were featured on the trip itinerary, including Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namsangol Hanok Village, and the popular commercial area of Myeongdong.
Eui Seung Kim, director-general of the Seoul metropolitan government’s Tourism Policy Bureau, believes that the massive incentive movement will give Seoul’s diverse culture and sites “a significant promotional boost in China”.
