The Painters, a worldclass group of performers who create a fusion of live drawings and perform K-Pop dance, were at the B-to-B networking event. Photo Credit: Amin (Photoplay)
The 2023 Korea Travel Fair which was held at Our Tampines Hub,
Singapore, from May 12-14, 2023 drew more than 55 exhibitors from
South Korea’s regional tourism organisations, airlines, travel agencies
and Korean retailers. Also present were 35 meeting and incentive
planners who were looking for updates on tourism products and services
for their clients.
M&C Asia spoke with four planners. Stanley Yew, MICE sales
manager of Pacific Arena was there to get the latest updates and trends
and to gain new contacts from exhibitors as “much has changed since
COVID,” he said, adding that he was looking forward to meeting new
players in the industry.
Voyager Travel general manager, Daniel Tan, who was recently back from a
Sarawak FAM trip said that NTOs such as Korea Tourism Board would be
able to entice more meeting planners if they were able to provide more
resources and support. This could come in the form of gifts or even cash
rewards which could then be passed on to his corporate clients as
discounts for hotel stays as these are in demand among his clients. His
company manages meeting and incentive groups of between 20-500 pax.
JSN International Events Management’s Jackie Seah has brought
corporate groups to South Korea ranging from 20-30 pax prior to the
pandemic, but she added that with inflation and high airfares, the tough
market conditions have placed a damper on smaller group budgets. She
was there to get the latest updates on what the destination has to offer
and was impressed with the unique performances by The Painters, a
worldclass group of performers who create a fusion of live drawings and
perform K-Pop dance. Also present was Black Dot, who showcased Taekwondo
with K-pop dance and calligraphy.
SamePage travel director of sales, Violet Teo, was pleased with the
introduction of a new K-Wellness programme which includes 64 destinations
and saw it as a possible product to introduce to potential clients. She
is tendering for an internal corporate meeting of some 30-50 medical
clients to South Korea in November for 4 days.