Creatrip, a domestic inbound tourism platform, has partnered with Coupang Play to exclusively sell foreigner-only tickets for the 2026 Coupang Play Series, set to take place in August.
Now in its fifth year since launching in 2022, the Coupang Play Series is an annual summer event that brings overseas football clubs and players to South Korea. This year's edition features Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Team K League — a squad drawn from top players across the K League — competing in two matches.
Creatrip will sell tickets for both fixtures: Team K League vs. Manchester City, and Manchester City vs. Atletico Madrid. Ticket packages that include access to open training sessions held the day before each match will also be available.
Creatrip plans to leverage its multilingual platform and overseas user base to help foreign football fans book tickets before arriving in South Korea, turning interest in watching live sport into actual inbound tourism.
Foreign tourists who purchase tickets will receive discount coupons for accommodation, currency exchange, travel insurance, SIM cards and activity products, allowing them to arrange their full travel itinerary around the matches in one place.
Customers booking tickets for group travel or VIP hospitality purposes can also reserve a customized concierge service. Creatrip said it will coordinate ticketing, transportation, accommodation, travel itineraries and on-site hospitality based on group size and purpose of visit, catering to both individual travelers and corporate or group clients.
"Starting with this collaboration with Coupang Play, we plan to continuously develop our product lineup and infrastructure so that foreign tourists can more easily enjoy high-quality, competitive domestic sporting events," Creatrip CEO Im Hye-min said. "We will expand the retail distribution of major sports events that give foreign visitors a reason to come to Korea, and will keep introducing inbound tourism products that connect sports viewing with accommodation, transportation, travel convenience services and local experiences."
terry@heraldcorp.com
