Gyeonggi Tourism Organization President Hong Seung-pyo.

"We plan to solidify the groundwork to establish the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a tourist attraction favored by foreigners, as a global tourism site in a long-term perspective,” said Gyeonggi Tourism Organization President Hong Seung-pyo. The following are excerpts of a written interview between NewsWorld and GTO President Hong in which he spoke of his organization’s policies to promote the local tourism industry. 

Students tour the Camp Greaves Youthhostel and DMZ Experience Pavilion.

Question: Will you tell our readers about GTO’s major achievements in the local tourism and MICE industries?

Answer: We’ve been devoting ourselves to strengthening education on the MICE industry to 31 counties in Gyeonggi-do and enhancing awareness toward it since 2015. Thanks to these efforts, Gyeonggi provincial and county authorities have begun to set aside money in their budget this year. They are proactively cooperating to attract MICE events and host them. 

We 've attracted such academic conference and exhibitions as the World Model UN 2015; 28th International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition; 2016 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference (GSTC 2016); 2017 World Ecotourism Conference; other UIA-class international conventions and tour groups by Migun’s Chinese operation; and other mid- and large-sized incentive tour organizations.

This year will see such super-large MICE events as the 2016 Rotary International Seoul Convention and Herbalife Extravaganza, as well as the GSTC 2016, which will coincide with the Visit Year 2016 Suwon, Hwaseong. In a long-term perspective, the GTO will cooperate with Gyeongi’s city and country authorities to cultivate the MICE industry, suiting the region while ramping up international networking with such international organizations as UNWTO and ICCA. 

Q: Will you specify the GTO’s major projects and tasks for 2016?

A: The GTO will strengthen collaboration with city and county tourism businesses. For instance, “one night-plus” tours to Suwon Hwaseong will have a competitive edge when they are combined with such neighborhood tourism attractions as Everland and the Korean Folk Village. 

Our organization signed a tripartite MOU with Suwon and Yongin municipal governments on Jan. 13. The deal is designed to develop “one night-plus” tourist products combining Suwon and Yongin on the occasion of the Visit Year 2016 Suwon, Hwaseong.

We plan to solidify the groundwork in establishing the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), one of most popular tourist attractions for foreigners, as a global tourism site in a long-term perspective. Tourists embarking on a one-night tour on diversifed DMZ programs are on the rise. They take tourists to such spots as Camp Greaves, the former U.S. military site, a set for the world-famous KBS-TV drama “Descendants of the Sun.” The GTO plans to build a sky walk at Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri with the Gyeonggii-do provincial government. 

The GTO continues to carry out its conventional role of attracting Korean travelers and foreign tourists. We implement such marketing activities as G-Tour Festival that took place from April 15 to 17 at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, “Gyeonggil Grand Sales,” and overseas tourism promoting events designed to attract Chinese speaking arrivals on the occasion of the Visit Korea Year.

Tour programs covering Hwaseong Fortress and major tourist attractions in Seoul will be offered from May 1 through May 15 as part of the central government’s Spring Tourism Week, designed to promote domestic travel. They include walking tours, accommodation tours, night tours and regional experience programs. 

Dignitaries, including GTO President Hong Seung-pyo and Environment Vice Minister Jung Yeon-man, attend a ceremony to put a pair of giant pandas imported from China to the public view at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, on April 3.

Q: What marketing strategies for the GTO differ from others? 

A: The GTO plays many roles, but I understand that the foremost one is collaborating with our related stakeholders. The GTO, albeit not large, has synergetic effects with related municipal and county authorities as well as tourism businesses. The GTO, city and county authorities jointly contribute budgets in promoting tourism, thus saving money and having greater promotion effect. Last year, 12 city and county authorities joined forces with the GTO. 

The GTO goes beyond its boundary by breaking the mold in a far-reaching, big picture perspective. We need to promote more cooperation with our neighbors, Seoul and Incheon, as the more tourists Seoul receives, the more we do. 

We strive to explore our own trend-setting projects. The GTO endeavors to make things like Hallyu (Korean Wave), beauty and shopping tour programs parts of our daily lives. We accelerate efforts to transform bike paths, snow and games into tourism products. 

A case in point is a cherry blossom tour program targeting Taiwanese and Southeast Asian tourists. As many as 6,000 foreign arrivals are expected to participate in this program. Gyeonggi-do’s skiing tour program to attract tourists from Southeast Asian countries is gaining popularity as ski-travelers are forecast to surge some 30 percent to 13,000 people this year. 

Q: Will you elaborate on the current status and future direction of the local tourism industry in Gyeonggi-do?

A: Gyeonggi-do boasts diversity, cultural, historical, urbanized features to the point that it is considered a reflection of the whole country. To name a few, there are Hwaseong Fortress, which is on the UN Cultural Heritage List; Namhan Fortress; Joseon royal tombs; the DMZ, a symbol of the world's sole divided country, the West Coast, one of the world’s top five tideland areas; Everland; and the Korean Folk Village. 

In particular, the pristine natural environment of northern Gyeonggi-do will likely have the potential to market one-night, two-day accommodation tour programs to divert domestic travelers from Seoul, Busan and Jeju. 

Gyeonggi-do badly needs to promote its tourism brand, so it can lure more Korean and foreign visitors from the conventional destinations like Seoul, Jeju and Busan. Our foremost task to be considered to promote the industry is taking a long-term approach.

A large number of people participate in the 2015 Walk Your DMZ Walkathon.(Photos:GTO)