Korea-Spain Visit Years are trending: FITUR will show why
Korea has become one of the trendiest tourist destinations in the world. Spanish visitors love trendy destinations, and they love to travel to South Korea.
No wonder, the 2020-2021 Korea-Spain Visit Years just launched. The King of Spain and the President of Korea signed a memorandum of understanding last year between the two countries in this regard.
Therefore FITUR will be in Korean hands this year.
FITUR is the global meeting point for tourism professionals and the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America. At its staging, FITUR broke all previous participation records with 10,487 companies from 165 countries and regions, 142,642 trade visitors and 110,848 visitors from the general public. FITUR in 2020 will open today.
70 years of Spanish – Korean friendship and diplomatic relations is a reason to celebrate.
FITUR will add to the opportunity this year under the motto: Imagine Your Korea!
Spain and South Korea understand why travel and tourism is the key to international friendship, peace and of course travel is also big business.
South Korea had 15.3 million visitors in 2018 and is targeting to host 20 million foreign guests this year.
South Korea is currently the third-largest issuing market in Asia for Spain. The country is seen as a very safe destination, with modern and high-quality infrastructure, as well as a good public transport network. It makes it attractive not only for Spanish tourists.
In becoming the host country for FITUR, the largest travel industry trade show in the Spanish speaking world shows the ambition of South Korea to break through another milestone and the many Spanish language markets in Europe and Latin America.
The bilateral trade volume between the two countries surpassed the $5 billion mark. Non-stop flights connect the two countries 11 times a week, and the number of foreign tourists in Korea had more than doubled from approximately 7.8 million 10 years ago to about 17.5 million in 2019.
With over a 5,000-year-old history and a modern culture represented as “K-culture,”
In particular, hallyu (Korean wave) has spread beyond Asia and across the globe, creating numerous tour products to Korea.
In addition to the popularity of Korean electronic appliance brands such as Samsung and LG, today’s hallyu led by K-pop including BTS, and Korean dramas and movies, has raised greater awareness of Korea.
Spain-Korea ties have grown continuously after they were established in 1950 and that their mutual interests have led to active exchanges.
Last night His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain hosted a dinner in Madrid. He was sitting next to the South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo.
The king became an honorary citizen of Seoul when he visited South Korea in October 2019 and was given certificates of honorary citizens from Mayor Park Won-soon. Last night the King repeated how honored he felt. The king, who was enthroned in June 2014, visited Seoul in 1988 for the Olympic games as a crown prince, and 2019 was his second visit to the city.
25 organizations, including the Korean government, major local governments, travel agencies, and airlines will create a Korea pavilion in front of the Asian Pavilion entrance in an effort to promote Korean tourism under the theme of “Convergence of Tradition and Modernity” at FITUR.
Traditionally King Felipe VI is visiting FITUR every year to welcome delegates.
(eTN)
