Korea emphasises varied, year-round appeal at latest Singapore MICE roadshow

A ‘360-degree’ tagline took centre stage at Korea Tourism Organization’s (KTO) MICE roadshow in Singapore last Friday, as the tourism body hopes to convince local planners of the destination’s year-round appeal for event attendees of all ages and interest.

Explaining the motivation, KTO’s director Yoon Seung Hwan, said activities at the destination are “not limited to just kimchi making, K-pop or Kdrama”.

Meeting with tourism suppliers at the KTO roadshow

Yoon said: “South Korea is an interesting destination with many hidden gems. There are programmes and places that travellers do not know of. We also wanted to emphasise that even local experiences such as harvesting seasonal fruits and sampling seasonal food can create interesting team-bonding opportunities.”

He added that in addition to South Korea’s diverse calendar of festivals which corporate groups can partake in, there was always a constant stream of new and unique venues to keep participants entertained.

“The Singapore MICE market is sophisticated and planners want something new in South Korea for their clients. We have to invest greater effort in identifying, and promoting new and trendy experiences and venues to planners here,” he said.

The 360-degree destination appeal would also help to maintain the high level of interest event planners and attendees have in Pyeongchang county and Gangwon province, where the 2018 Winter Olympics was held.

Yoon said the Games had brought heightened media and traveller attention to Pyeongchang, Gangwon and South Korea in general, and much of the interest was centred on the ski resorts in Gangwon.

Besides promoting the corporate event capability at ski resorts in Gangwon, the Singapore roadshow also drew attention to the province’s seasonal delights.

“We are collaborating with Gangwon to promote its attractiveness throughout the four seasons. Travellers can enjoy cherry blossoms in spring, fun at the water park in summer, autumn foliage along the mountainous areas in autumn, and snow in winter,” said Yoon.

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