Korea Tourism Organization, Eastar Jet team up to draw more tourists through regional airports

The Korea Tourism Organization and Eastar Jet are deepening cooperation to attract more tourists from Chinese-speaking markets through regional airports, with joint marketing efforts aimed at boosting local tourism and broadening the base of foreign visitors.

The Korea Tourism Organization signed an MOU with Eastar Jet on Thursday at its Seoul center to expand Chinese-market routes at regional airports and increase inbound foreign tourism.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will build a strategic cooperation framework to grow foreign arrivals through regional airports. The Korea Tourism Organization plans to raise Eastar Jet's share of inbound passengers arriving at regional airports to 45 percent this year, with a target of 55 percent by 2028.

To attract more visitors from Chinese-speaking markets, the two sides agreed to jointly develop new regular and charter routes from regional airports targeting those markets, run joint promotions, pursue large-group charter flights for MICE incentive tours, and share data on foreign passenger load factors for marketing purposes.

Jung Seok-in, head of the Korea Tourism Organization's international tourism division, said expanding foreign arrivals through regional airports is "a core task for achieving the early goal of 30 million foreign visitors." He added that the MOU would help gradually increase overseas tourists arriving at regional airports and translate that into stronger local spending and longer stays.

Meanwhile, Eastar Jet recorded the highest share of Chinese-market routes among low-cost carriers at regional airports in the first half of this year, at 50 percent, and also posted the highest growth rate in international flight operations. This summer, the airline launched charter services to Datong, Nantong and Ningbo and added frequencies on the Busan–Taipei route. It also plans to open additional Chinese-market routes from Busan and Daegu by next year. The Korea Tourism Organization said it will continue supporting foreign tourist arrivals at regional airports through locally focused marketing in step with those expansions.