“K-Tourism Roadshow” to be held in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka from April 14 to 30

 Minister PARK Bo Gyoon to act as “K-Tourism Salesperson” in Tokyo to promote K-tourism

  “Dramatic Night,” featuring actor LEE Do Hyun and singer Punch, held in Tokyo on April 14

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is set to host a “K-Tourism Roadshow” targeting Japan’s Golden Week in five Japanese cities—Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka—from April 14 (Fri) to 30 (Sun). At the beginning of Korea’s tourism visit marketing on April 14 (Fri), Minister PARK Bo Gyoon acted as a “K-Tourism Salesperson” to promote K-tourism to Japanese consumers in Tokyo.

“Following the historical achievements of President YOON Suk Yeol’s visit to Japan, we will revitalize tourism exchanges to bring the two countries closer through travel. In particular, as Korea is the most popular overseas travel destination for Japan’s Generation Z, we will make this event a turning point for inbound tourism recovery using the unparalleled power of K-culture,” Minister PARK said.

 Boosting Japanese Tourists’ Interest in Traveling to Korea Ahead of the Golden Week Holiday

According to a survey by the global online travel agency (OTA) Tripadvisor, Seoul ranks first as the “the most desired destination Japanese want to visit this spring,” indicating a growing interest in traveling to Korea among Japanese nationals. In response, the MCST will hold a “K-Tourism Roadshow” in five cities to market K-tourism ahead of the Golden Week (April 29 – May 7), a long holiday period in Japan when tourism demand surges.

On April 14 (Fri) in Tokyo, the Korean travel concert “Dramatic Night,” featuring K-drama, was held and attended by 1,500 local audiences. Actor LEE Do Hyun from Netflix’s “The Glory” and OST singer Punch from the drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” communicated with the audience about the travel destinations and K-culture within the shows, sharing the charm of going around Korea.

Following this, focused marketing on Busan tourism will take place in Hiroshima on April 21 and Fukuoka on April 22, leveraging the country’s geographical proximity to the city. Nagoya’s Chubu Centrair International Airport will also be transformed into a “K-Culture Terminal” from April 22 to 23, hosting various performances and experience events while collaborating with an airline for joint sales. Meanwhile, Osaka plans to hold a “K-Gourmet Festival” from April 29 to April 30 to intensively market local food festivals such as the Daegu Chimac Festival.

 Generation-Specific Marketing with K-Culture

K-style, K-gourmet (gastronomy), and K-content, beloved by Japan’s MZ generation, will be accompanied by a year-round “Winter Sonata Memories Reconstruction” marketing campaign targeting middle-aged drama enthusiasts, who are the original Hallyu fans of “Winter Sonata.” Recently, Japanese social media travel journalists “KANTABI Supporters” visited Namiseom Island, marking the start of the campaign. At the Tsutaya Tokyo Roppongi bookstore, a Korean travel campaign will introduce wellness and luxury tourism products, along with Korean books, for high-income earners in their 30s to 50s. Starting April 11 (Tue), a special online Korean travel promotion was held in collaboration with Japanese travel agencies HIS and Rakuten Travel, focusing on new travel product sales.

Regular flights between Korea and Japan are expected to recover up to 92% of the 2019 average by September. Celebrating the “Visit Korea Year” starting in April, the convenience of Japanese tourists entering the country is expected to increase with the exemption of the Korean electronic travel authorization (K-ETA) system for citizens of 22 countries, including Japan, maximizing the marketing effect.

                                          New Era of Cooperation, Minister Restores Shuttle Diplomacy

Minister PARK also met with Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito during his visit to Japan. As both countries’ tourism industries are key markets for each other, they exchanged opinions on directions to promote tourism cooperation between the two nations. The Korea-Japan Tourism Ministers’ meeting, held for the first time in about four years since 2019, served as an opportunity to bolster government cooperation for the early recovery of the tourism industry.