Brought to you by Gangwon Provincial Government
Gangwon Province, South Korea (Gangwon) in collaboration with Korea Tourism Organization’s (KTO) Kuala Lumpur and Singapore offices hosted the Reconnect with Gangwon events on May 13 and May 17 to accelerate the recovery of the travel market.
Taking the lead to revitalise local tourism and kickstart post-pandemic marketing, Gangwon teamed up with its 20 partners, Alpensia Resort, monapark Yongpyong Resort and designated travel agents to organise the event, which incorporated seminars, media interviews and business networking sessions to revive the connection with local travel partners and enhance Gangwon’s tourism appeal.
Both online and offline campaigns for Gangwon Safe Travel (G-Safe Travel) were also in full swing to create widespread awareness of the safety measures implemented in Gangwon and introduce selected certified-clean destinations to a global audience.
“As it’s our very first overseas event after the re-opening of international borders, it means a lot to Gangwon to drive post-pandemic marketing and promote the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 too,” said Kim Jong-Woug, director general of tourism, culture and sports bureau, Gangwon Province.
“We will devote our energy into rolling out our marketing plans with the aim of normalising the global travel market.”
G-Safe Travel: Meeting the demand for safe travel & reaching out to global travel market
As health and safety issues continue to be of paramount concern among travellers as the world moves towards a Covid endemic state, Gangwon has carried out safety measures to keep destinations clean and safe for international travellers and put in place ‘Gangwon PCR Fast Track’, a support scheme for PCR tests, in partnership with KTO, Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA) and Korean National Tuberculosis Association (KNTA).
As part of joint marketing with 36 designated travel agents specialised in overseas markets, Gangwon will also keep at developing premium tourism products and reach out to the global travel market through outreach efforts such as familiarisation trips for the travel industry, tourism road shows and joint advertisements.
Keeping the Olympic legacy going: Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games
Riding on the resounding success of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games aims to carry on its vision of nurturing a new generation of winter sports athletes.
The much-anticipated sporting extravaganza will be held from January 19 to February 1, 2024 in Pyeongchang, Gangneung, Jeongseon and Hoengseong in Gangwon.
More than 1,900 athletes from 70 countries are expected to participate in 7 sports, 15 disciplines and over 80 events.
For next year, other international events such as Gangwon Forestry Exhibition 2023 and the 12th World Choir Games Gangneung 2023 are also scheduled to take place in Gangwon to further boost overseas tourist traffic to the province.
Premium tourism offerings focusing on nature, wellness, Hallyu (Korean Wave) & cultural festivals
Endowed with breath-taking lush greenery, some of South Korea’s most famous beaches and awe-inspiring mountains, Gangwon is well-placed for outdoor activities such as surfing, trekking, skiing, as well as wellness programmes to satisfy post-lockdown wanderlust.
Good news for fans of raging global phenomenon, K-pop wave, too – they can now visit the filming locations of popular K-dramas such as ‘Goblin’ and ‘Crash Landing on You’, located in the province.
Currently the world’s biggest boy band, BTS, also filmed music videos for their album and travelogues across Gangwon too. The hotspots were subsequently bookmarked by ARMY – the group’s legions of global fans – to follow in their footsteps.
To top it off, Gangwon has added brand-new tourist attractions to welcome overseas visitors too.
LEGOLAND Korea, the world’s 10th LEGOLAND Park, opened its doors in Chuncheon, capital of Gangwon recently. It is also the first LEGOLAND built on an island, Jungdo, which is expected to make it one of the most scenic LEGOLAND Resorts to date.
Cheorwon Hantangang Columnar Joint Path, a walking path made by installing a bridge between the cliffs, in Cheorwon DMZ site is also another new tourist draw.
The return of well-loved festivals is underway too.
Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival, which used to have more than one million visitors annually, is ready to welcome international visitors from this year.
Designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, more than 500,000 visitors attend the four-week-long Gangneung Danoje Festival every year too.
Festival-goers flock to the various ritual performances and partake in cultural festivities such as making festival fans, brewing the sacred liquor, drawing masks for the Gwanno mask drama, savouring Surichiwi rice crackers and washing their hair in Iris water.
In addition to her leadership role at The Langham, Hong Kong, the Singapore native will have expanded operational oversight of all Langham and Cordis properties in Hong Kong and Asia, including properties under development.
He brings with him over 16 years of experience in hospitality, and will take on the responsibility for Hong Kong operations and provide strategic direction for shared services in Hong Kong.
His extensive knowledge and experience of the local and international market equips him with a holistic approach to hotel-keeping as he oversees the upcoming resort refurbishment and implementation of new dining and spa concepts.
Pohl will be responsible for further strengthening the organisation’s presence around the world and enhancing the company’s operations on a global level.
In her new role, Ram is passionate about working alongside her team to create exceptional experiences for the guests and furthering Jumeirah’s legacy in Asia.
Indonesia has removed pre-flight PCR or ART tests for inbound international and domestic travellers, including returning Indonesians. This comes into effect today.
Masks are no longer required for vaccinated people in non-crowded outdoor spaces. However, the mask-on policy still applies on public transport.
President Joko Widodo said the decision was made based on the pandemic coming under control in the country.
Arriving travellers will only need to undergo a health check at the airport for any Covid-19-related symptoms.
The Circular Letter issued by Indonesia Covid-19 Task Force on May 18 stipulated that travellers must comply with the new health protocol: download the PeduliLindungi tracing app, show proof of their second Covid-19 vaccination obtained at least 14 days prior to departure, and have insurance covering Covid-19 medication and evacuation to referral hospitals.
This policy is eligible for entry through the international airports of Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Batam, Bintan, Manado, Lombok, Medan, Makassar, Yogyakarta, Banda Aceh, Padang, Palembang, Solo, Banjarmasin and Balikpapan, and all international seaports.