Governor Kim Yung-rok Promotes Marketing Activities to Attract Chinese Tourists

- Conference with the mayor of Shanghai on the 21st, discussing cooperative efforts for economic development

- Tourism presentation session and memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China Eastern to establish regular flights to Muan International Airport

- Modetour International sells tourism products to Jeonnam, attracting interest

- Andy, the original K-Pop Star, promotes tourism in Jeonnam with a talk show

【Tourism Department Manager Cho Dae-jeong, +82 286-5210, Tourism Marketing Team Leader Cho Hyeong-geun, +82 286-5240】

(Attach three photos of the conference with Gong Zheng, the mayor of Shanghai, China.)

Kim Yung-rok, the governor of Jeollanam-do Province, organized a summit conference in Shanghai to increase their tourism exchange. A tourism presentation was held amid the increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea. Meanwhile, the governor also started local marketing activities, such as signing the MOU for regular flights between Shanghai and Muan International Airport.

Governor Kim Yung-rok had a conference with Mayor Gong Zheng at the Shanghai City Hall in the afternoon of the 21st. He proposed the establishment of regular flights between Muan and Shanghai and visits of Chinese tourist groups to the Jeonnam region. They also discussed cooperation in many areas, such as the vitalization of trade and investment for mutual economic development and the exchange of renewable energy technology.

Furthermore, they held a Jeonnam tourism presentation with 200 local tour agencies, aviation enterprises, and journalists at the Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao. The governor swiftly responded to the Chinese government’s full authorization of Chinese group tours to Korea in August for the first time in six years and five months since the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) dispute.

Many figures attended the tourism presentation, such as Kim Young-jun, the Consul General of the Korean Embassy in Shanghai, Lee Jun-yong, the president of the Shanghai Korean Association, etc. In addition, personnel from large tourism agencies also attended the event, including Yu Yu-bang, the CEO of Modetour International, the chief secretary of the Meeting, Incentive, Conference, and Exhibition (MICE) Committee of the Chinese Tourism Agency Association, Zhu Dan, the CEO of Mango International Travel Agency in Shanghai, Cheng Won-jin, the CEO of Beijing Mytour, and more.

In particular, under the attendance of Governor Kim Yung-rok, Vice President Lu Tisan of China Eastern, Safety & Security Division Director Lee Jeong-ki of Korea Airports Corporation (KAC), and KAC Muan International Airport Director Jeong Hee, the “MOU for regular flights of China Eastern between Shanghai and Muan International Airport.” According to the MOU, China Eastern will operate two regular flights starting in November. China Eastern is a large-scale aviation company headquartered in Shanghai, established in 1988. It continued growing and currently holds 578 aircraft, operating 1,052 routes to 110 countries. In the future, it will greatly contribute to the JeonnamChina tourism exchange with the new route.

The conference also presented the sales of three-day and four-night tourism products by Modetour, the leading tourism agency for Chinese inbound groups, to Muan International Airport, attracting much interest. As group tours of Chinese tourists resume, Modetour International will be a reliable partner in attracting Chinese tourists to the Jeonnam region.

There was also a talk show, “Jeonnam Travel with Andy,” by Andy, a popular member of Shinhwa and an honorary ambassador to Jeonnam tourism. The show was a huge success, attracting a crowd who wanted to see Andy, one of the original K-Pop stars.

Governor Kim Yung-rok said in his greetings, “I wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the Chinese government to resume group tourists.” He added, “I hope that Jeonnam Province and China hold more active tourism exchanges and open new routes from other cities in China to Muan International Airport.”

Starting with this presentation, Jeollanamdo Province plans to offer tourism products for Chinese tourist groups and offer incentives. Meanwhile, the province will also actively attract tourists through Trip.com, a Chinese online tourism agency. There were 35,000 Chinese tourists in the Jeonnam region in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, but only 7,000 visitors came in the previous year. Jeonnam Province plans to work hard to restore the number of Chinese tourists to the pre-COVID-19 level by resuming Chinese group tourism.

◇ Photo description

(Conference with Gong Zheng, the mayor of Shanghai, China)

Governor Kim Yung-rok of Jeollanamdo Province is having a conference with Mayor Gong Zheng of Shanghai at Shanghai City Hall on the 21st (local time) and discussing the vitalization of trade and investment for mutual development and exchange of renewable energy technology.