India incentive tourism groups flock to Korea, boosting MICE market

A string of large Indian incentive travel groups is heading to Korea, bolstering the country's MICE market diversification and foreign currency earnings.

The Korea Tourism Organization said it has secured several mid- to large-scale Indian incentive tourism groups for September, bringing approximately 2,000 Indian visitors to Korea.

About 1,400 employees of Indian health and wellness company Herbalife will visit Seoul and Gangwon Province across three separate trips from Sept. 6 to Sept. 11. The KTO's New Delhi office has been hosting MICE briefings in Bengaluru — where Herbalife India is headquartered — since 2024, promoting travel content and support programs for Korea-bound groups.

Herbalife had initially considered Georgia as its top incentive travel destination but finalized Korea after KTO executives met with the company during a site inspection visit in June. More than 90 percent of participants have already completed their flight bookings, and the South Korean Embassy in India is providing visa processing support.

Some 465 employees of Birla Opus, an Indian paint manufacturing and retail company, will visit Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7. The group was originally planned at about 300 participants but expanded to 465 following KTO's site inspection support.

Indian corporate incentive groups are considered high-value tourists, typically staying at five-star hotels. While Europe and Southeast Asia have long been their preferred incentive travel destinations, growing awareness of Korean culture — or K-culture — is prompting more Indian companies to consider Korea as a new option.

"Incentive tourists spend about $2,710 per person in Korea — roughly 1.5 times the $1,801 average for general tourists," said Hong Hyeon-seon, head of the KTO's Korea MICE Bureau. "As India has emerged as a key source market for inbound MICE, we plan to designate our New Delhi office next year as a dedicated hub for corporate meetings and incentive tourism, and will continue expanding our recruitment of large incentive groups through active marketing, including MICE road shows in India."

Meanwhile, following a visit by 650 employees of Indian financial firm HD FC in May, the number of Indian incentive tourists directly recruited or supported by KTO through the third quarter is expected to reach 4,075 — a 279 percent increase from the same period last year. With additional mid- to large-scale groups scheduled for the fourth quarter, KTO projected that total annual arrivals from Indian incentive groups will exceed 10,000 this year.