Jeju, one of the nine provinces of Korea and the country’s largest island, is now looking at India as a source market for the MICE and wellness segments. Jeju attracted 12 million tourists last year of which 3.3 million were foreign arrivals. Among arrivals, Jeju received 1,000 visitors from India last year. The tourism organisation plans to raise this to 10,000 by 2020.
Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld in Jeju City, Kim Dan, manager, marketing business development, Jeju Tourism Organisation said, “India is a huge market for us. We did a roadshow in Mumbai last year and this year we are doing it in Delhi next week. We are looking to target the high end MICE and wellness segments in India. We plan to target Mumbai and Delhi first and then later look at the other cities. International visitors do not need a visa to enter Jeju. We are hoping that this will act as one of the strong incentives for Indians to visit Jeju. Also Indians visit Korea for about 13 days of which they stay in Jeju for about four or five days, which is longer than most other international tourists.”
He added, “While Seoul attracts medical tourists, Jeju is looking at promoting wellness concepts like aromatherapy, spa treatments, hydrotherapy, etc. So we are looking at the segment that can get the surgical procedures done in Seoul and then come to Jeju for healing and rejuvenation.”