EVEN with Korean tourist arrivals in the Philippines reaching an all-time high in 2015, both the Philippine government and the private sector believe the best is yet to come.
In 2015 1.34 million Koreans, representing 25 percent of the total market, visited the Philippines with arrivals expected to reach 2 million this year. It paved the way for the country to record its highest international tourist arrivals at 5.36 million.
Meanwhile, Filipinos flocking to South Korea’s tourist destinations were at 434,951 in 2014, with those numbers expected to have increased last year.
With tourist arrivals averaging 14 million annually despite the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-Cov) scare hitting the country in May last year, the South Korean government has been making a push for 20 million tourist arrivals by next year.
A leading partner of South Korea in the campaign has been the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO), which has presence in 31 countries, including the Philippines.
The Philippine campaign
In the country, the KTO, led by its Manila Director Park In-shik, have been doing a tireless effort in promoting their country to Filipino travelers.
At the height of the MERS-Cov, the Philippine KTO doubled down to ensure Filipinos that their country was still one of the best places to visit for leisure and meeting, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions travel.
It brought their country’s “K-Smile Friendliness” campaign to the Philippines in a bid to highlight South Korea as a premier tourism destination and to introduce PyeongChang’s hosting of the 23rd Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games in 2018.
“Anyone can visit us and inquire about traveling to Korea. We have brochures, guidebooks, maps and other information ready to be distributed to all interested visitors,” Park said.
According to Park, KTO Manila offers constant Korean tourism updates to travel agencies, airlines and the public in general.
He said they want to educate Filipinos about the unforgettable experience they can have when traveling to South Korea.
Park said they are also aggressively participating in various tourism expos in the country, including the Philippine Travel Agencies Association’s annual Travel Tour Expo next week.
Supported by the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board, the annual event gathers 300 local and international exhibitors. It will also have a mix of business-to-business and business-to-consumer activities.
During the event, KTO Manila will promote new tourism packages, travel deals and the Winter Olympics, while also staging games and providing entertainment during the expo.
South Korea experiences four seasons, including a dry, cold winter running from November to March; a verdant spring lasting from March to May; a muggy and rainy monsoon season that extends through the duration of the summer months; and a crisp autumn from September through November.
According to KTO Manila, March to May is the best time to visit South Korea, although winter-sports enthusiasts should consider visiting the country during the winter months, when its myriad of resorts and fine powder make it an ideal winter getaway.
However, Filipinos have traditionally visited South Korea during the winter months to experience the snow and a White Christmas. Filipinos average four to five days in their visit.
Outside of the snow, one of the main attractions of South Korea is it heritage sites, including the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center, Traditional Market and Royal Palace. It also has its assortment of cultural tourism festivals and various sports-tourism activities.
However, Park is recommending to Filipino tourists to visit the National Museum of Korea, the largest museum in Asia.
The museum houses precious Korean cultural artifacts that tell Korea’s fascinating history dating back to ancient times.
It is strategically near Yongsan Family Park, a grassy wooded park with a pond that serves as a natural habitat for various species of birds and over 80 different kinds of trees. The War Memorial of Korea is also near the museum.
“Visit our office and get to know how we can help you with your group tours and other marketing efforts to promote Korean tour packages,” Park said.
KTO Manila was officially launched in May 2012, with the main purpose of promoting Korea as a premier leisure, incentive and medical travel destination among Filipino travelers.
The Winter Olympics
South Korea is in the midst of preparation and promotion for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games
The Winter Olympics will happen in February 2018 and will be participated in by 3,000 athletes competing in seven sporting events in 12 venues. The Paralympic Games will open the following month and will have 600 athletes participating in six different sporting events.
The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics is expected to attract 1.50 million tourists who will all get to experience the newly developed automatic interpretation and translation technology developed by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP).
In a memorandum of understanding with the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the MSIP will have the Korean language translated to English, Chinese and Japanese, with those for the French and Spanish languages currently being developed.
South Korea is looking forward to a language barrier-free PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Image credits: jimbo Albano