"Visit Korea" Project Targets 10M Tourists

Nov. 10, 2009

Source: The Korea Times
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/11/113_55173.htm

11-09-2009
18:58

'Visit Korea' Targets 10 Mil. Tourists

By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

An official launching ceremony for the "2010-2012 Visit Korea Year" campaign will be held Wednesday at the Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul, with around 2,000 participants, including First Lady Kim Yoon-ok, the honorary chairwoman of the Visit Korea Committee (VKC).

"Last March, we reported to President Lee Myung-bak our intention to launch a Visit Korea campaign and he suggested that we do it for an extended period, rather than just one year," Sonia Hong, secretary-general of the VKC, recounted during a press conference at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul. Japan has hosted a similar campaign for the past eight years.

The opening of the official Web site at www.visitkoreayear.com will coincide with the launching ceremony on Wednesday. Foreign-language versions will open in January 2010.

The campaign is demonstrative of the commitment of the Korean government and its people to developing Korea's tourism potential, organizers said. Through a successful campaign, Korea hopes that the nation's tourism revenue will reach over $10 billion and enter the list of top-20 countries in a survey of tourism competitiveness.

The VKC and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), a major supporter of the campaign, are planning to promote major international events to take place here in the next three years, such as the 2012 Yeosu Expo and the 2011 Daegu World Championship in Athletics, as some of the compelling reasons to visit Korea.

For an ambitious campaign that ultimately aims to attract 10 million tourists, marketing and funding are key - that's where the Lotte Group comes in. The VKC is led by Lotte Group's Vice Chairman Shin Dong-bin. Currently some 6 million visits Korea per year.

Lotte has been taking bold steps to expand its leisure and tourism business by building hotels in Russia and opening a department store in China. "We are fortunate to have staff of the Lotte Group on board. Shin is very enthusiastic about leading the campaign to great success," Hong said. Shin, 55, was picked at a board meeting of the committee for the Visit Korea 2010-2012 campaign, succeeding former Kumho Asiana Group CEO Park Sam-gu.The campaign, first announced last year, is currently promoted by goodwill ambassadors Kim Yu-na, 2009 world champion in ladies figure skating, and actor Bae Yong-joon.


The VKC recently held a large-scale promotional event in Tokyo and will hold another international promotion in Shanghai, China, on Nov. 24.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr