Vacationers flock to a welcome heart in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, throughout 2024 Seoul Welcome Week in Could. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Authorities
By Jung Da-hyun
The Seoul Metropolitan Authorities and the Seoul Tourism Affiliation are holding the 2024 Seoul Welcome Week, which is geared toward overseas vacationers. The initiative spans eight days from Tuesday, aligning with the Nationwide Day of the Individuals’s Republic of China and the height autumn journey season, town authorities stated Monday.
Town plans to encourage worldwide vacationers to revisit Seoul by offering a hospitality program consisting of varied occasions to create wealthy and particular recollections in Seoul.
The poster for 2024 Seoul Welcome Week / Courtesy of Seoul Tourism Affiliation
Underneath the theme “Seoul’s Autumn, Shade Your Recollections,” town has unveiled welcome indicators on outside digital shows in widespread vacationer areas like Hongdae and Gangnam.
A particular welcome heart has additionally been arrange in Myeong-dong, one of the crucial regularly visited spots for overseas vacationers. It’s positioned in entrance of the Migliore Lodge.
The middle gives journey info and help to guests, with workers readily available always to handle any questions on exploring town. To raised serve worldwide vacationers, town has employed people who find themselves fluent in Japanese, Chinese language and English.
Along with serving to guests navigate town, the middle offers complimentary welcome drinks, similar to varied conventional Korean teas packaged in cans.
Guests can even get pleasure from taking part in interactive cultural packages, similar to crafting their very own key rings by combining Seoul boarding passes with conventional Korean jewellery tassels and fascinating in conventional video games.
A lottery occasion gives an opportunity to win souvenirs, together with cutlery units, conventional snacks, mugs and classy cool luggage. Different points of interest embody a photograph zone and welcome brokers wearing character masks, aiming to spice up engagement and improve the expertise for worldwide vacationers in Seoul.
The welcome week occasion, held in Could this yr, noticed a mean of two,000 overseas vacationers per day, with a complete of 15,000 guests taking part in varied actions and occasions over the eight days. In keeping with town’s survey, 98 % of respondents expressed satisfaction with their expertise in Seoul.
Town authorities is pursuing initiatives like this with the objective of attracting 30 million overseas vacationers by 2026. Town goals for every customer to spend a mean of three million received ($2,300), keep for seven days and obtain a 70 % revisit fee.
In keeping with the Korea Tourism Group, a complete of seven.7 million overseas vacationers visited Korea within the first half of this yr. Chinese language vacationers topped the checklist at 2.22 million, adopted by 1.43 million Japanese, 680,000 Taiwanese and 640,000 People.
“We hope overseas vacationers will create significant recollections in Seoul via this occasion,” stated Kim Younger-hwan, director basic of the Tourism and Sports activities Bureau on the Seoul Metropolitan Authorities.
“We intention to make Seoul a metropolis the place guests need to keep longer and return by selling a tradition of hospitality centered on smiles and kindness.”
