2022 Seoul Tourism Expo “37th Seoul International Tourism Exhibition”

June 27, 2022 246 Views

The tourism industry has been greatly impacted by COVID-19 for a while. However, there is now a growing atmosphere of trying to gradually move away from the influence of COVID-19. In this atmosphere, the “37th Seoul International Tourism Exhibition” took place at COEX Exhibition Center in Samseong-dong, Seoul.

“37th Seoul International Tourism Exhibition”

This tourism exhibition was held for four days, from June 23 to June 26, 2022. The event concluded successfully with approximately 38,000 visitors. Over 267 domestic and international institutions and businesses, along with representatives from over 40 countries worldwide, participated in this exhibition.

The Seoul International Tourism Exhibition Organizing Committee hosted the event, with sponsorship from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as well as support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Korea Tourism Organization, the Central Association of Korean Tourism, and the Korean Tourism Studies Association.

Alongside the participation of over 40 countries, including Taiwan, Guam, Spain, Japan, Tanzania, Malta, and various local government entities like Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gyeonggi, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk, and Jeju, plus basic local government entities like Suwon, Bucheon, and Jeonju, more than 300 organizations and businesses including hotels, travel agencies, and airlines took part in the exhibition, featuring over 400 booths.

“Domestic and International Online Meetings”

While “KOTFA” International Tourism Exhibition offers offline booths, it also facilitates matchmaking between overseas buyers and domestic sellers online. However, online meetings are conducted in different locations from the offline meeting place, so regular visitors may not be able to view them.

Last year, online meetings were also held on the first floor, the same location as offline meetings. However, due to noise and other factors associated with online meetings, a separate location was established and operated for online meetings at this year’s event.

“Booths from Various Regional Cities and Overseas Tourism Boards”

On the first floor of the exhibition hall, booths were set up by various cities and local governments representing South Korea, showcasing their regions and conducting events. In addition to local governments, a diverse range of booths were available, including those from various tourism businesses and souvenir vendors.

Booths from overseas tourism boards were also diverse. Participating boards such as the Israel Tourism Board and the Côte d’Ivoire Tourism Board decorated their booths and promoted their respective tourism programs.

Through the booths of various local governments in South Korea, it became apparent that there are many interesting places to visit in the regional areas of our country. In particular, the city of Daegu, which had an image of being a “boring city” in the past, seemed to be making impressive efforts to develop tourism resources and create results in order to break free from this stereotype, preserving childhood memories.

The “Israel Tourism Board” stood out among the overseas agencies. The Israel Tourism Board can be considered less known compared to other overseas tourism boards. Especially in reality, information about traveling to Israel is not easily found, to the point where one could count the number of people in Korea traveling to Israel. However, it felt like Israel is now slowly starting to promote its own tourist destinations in Korea.

“A Great Place to Get Travel Information: Seoul International Tourism Exhibition”

The Seoul International Tourism Exhibition is an exhibition event themed around travel, held annually. As this event has been held a total of 37 times up until now, it is a fairly well-known event. It is a MICE event that attracts interest and participation not only from various local governments but also from travel agencies and more, even for those who are not specifically engaged in tourism or travel.

Thanks to this event, even for those who are not currently involved in tourism or travel, it provides an opportunity to receive ample information about domestic and international travel. Additionally, while going through various booths, one can also receive a variety of souvenirs. If it’s not too difficult to visit COEX, it would be a good idea to visit at least once.

One tip is that while going through the various booths, you may receive brochures containing travel information, as well as various gifts. To prepare for receiving a large amount of materials and gifts, it would be helpful to bring a “folding cart” or something similar.

“Seoul COEX: 37th Seoul International Tourism Exhibition”