THE KOREA Tourism Organization (KTO) opened earlier this month a representative office in Mumbai to promote South Korea to the west Indian market.
KTO Mumbai office manager, Naomi Lobo, who reports to the KTO office in New Delhi, said: “I’ll work with the travel trade, consumers, media and airlines in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa to introduce and promote Korea.”
“The focus will be on MICE, leisure travel and honeymooners. We’re also keen on tapping the Indian film industry to shoot in Korea.”
KTO is planning to highlight various facets of the destination and increase travel trade product knowledge through a promotional programme this year and next. The programme includes media publicity, participation in trade shows, fam trips, and a food festival on a pan-India basis.
Hana Travels director, Himanshu Yogi, said South Korea was a growing in popularity as a leisure and business destination for west Indians.
“There’s a lot of traffic from Maharashtra and Gujarat to Korea. Many business travellers from Mumbai travel to Korea,” he said. “It’ll help us a lot to have a KTO office in Mumbai. We hope that the office actively involves the trade in promoting visitors to Korea.”
South Korea received 86,547 Indian visitors last year, up 18.9 per cent over the year before. This year, a 20 per cent increase in Indian arrivals is expected.
By Anand & Madhura Katti
