- The Ministry boosts local interest in Korean tourism with dance lessons and chimaek through the K-Tourism Roadshow on March 24–26

 - K-pop star YANG Yo Seob to perform onstage and Hong Kong’s DoDo Cheng to be named honorary ambassador

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister PARK Bo Gyoon, MCST) and the Korea Tourism Organization (President KIM Jang Sil, KTO) launched the K-Tourism Roadshow at The Mira Hong Kong and East Point City from March 24 (Fri) to 26 (Sun) to put Korean tourism on the bucket lists of Hong Kong tourists.

Planned for Visit Korea Year 2023–2024, the K-Tourism Roadshow is an annual event comprising intensive marketing activities for K-culture and K-tourism across 15 cities worldwide. Before the COVID-19 pandemic,  695,000 Hong Kong citizens visited Korea, marking the top five inbound travelers. After the pandemic, the number of visitors from Hong Kong was restored to about 51% of the year 2019, making the region a crucial market for Korea’s restoration of inbound tourism.

 Road Show to Promote K-Tourism Products to Fill Hong Kong Citizens’ Bucket Lists

On March 24 (Fri), a briefing conference and business-to-business (B2B) meetings were held at The Mira Hong Kong. Representatives from 24 organizations from Korea attended the meetings, including local governments (Seoul, Busan, and Jeju) and tourism firms dealing in various themed tourism products. The representatives promoted Korea’s unique tourism products across multiple categories, including K-beauty, K-food, cycling, and trekking, to attendees from more than 30 travel agencies in Hong Kong. Also in attendance were organizing institutions of the Daegu Chimac Festival, Boryeong Mud Festival, Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, and other festivals enjoying great popularity among foreigners. Ultimately, both countries’ tourism sectors will work together to dole out marketing cooperation plans aimed at developing new K-tourism products and drawing visitors to the country.

 Renowned Show Host DoDo Cheng Appointed as Honorary Ambassador to Spread the Word about K-Tourism’s Beauty

On March 23 (Sat) and 26 (Sun), the K-Tourism Roadshow kicked off at East Point City, a shopping center in Hong Kong frequented by many local consumers. Held in celebration of the Visit Korea Years, the road show included tourism product marketing by participating organizations, K-idol dance lessons, K-beauty makeup programs, chimaek (chicken-beer combo) tasting, and other opportunities to enjoy K-culture.

Celebrities from Korea and Hong Kong graced the opening ceremony on the 25th. K-pop star YANG Yo Seob (member of the band HIGHLIGHT) performed a mini concert to set the mood for the show, followed by the appointment of DoDo Cheng, a renowned show host in Hong Kong, as an Honorary K-Tourism Ambassador. DoDo Cheng also took part in producing a local TV show featuring K-culture in April, fulfilling her role as ambassador.

“A large percentage of Hong Kong tourists consist of women in their 20s and 30s with a keen interest in Korean culture. We expect that the road show will spur the restoration of tourist inflow from Hong Kong to Korea,” An MCST policymaker said. “With future K-Tourism Roadshows to be held in major cities worldwide, we will raise awareness on the beauty of K-culture and K-tourism and bring the Visit Korea Year 2023–2024 program to success.”