Korea Tourism Organization Holds K-Tourism Roadshow in Japan to Sustain Visit Korea Momentum

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) conducted tourism marketing campaigns in major Japanese cities to attract Japanese tourists. The government has appointed singer Sung Si-kyung, who is fluent in Japanese, as an honorary tourism ambassador for Korea, aiming to attract a record number of Japanese visitors this year.

The ministry and KTO announced on Monday that they held “K-Tourism Roadshows” in Tokyo and Osaka from January 9 to 12 to target Japanese tourists. Japanese visitors to Korea reached a record 3.65 million last year. To build on this achievement, KTO believes it needs to encourage repeat visits from Japanese tourists who have already experienced Korea — so-called “N-th time visitors.”

The government focused on promoting Korea as an everyday travel destination to sustain the momentum of repeat visits.

The ministry and KTO hosted “Korea Tourism Briefings” and “Korea-Japan Tourism Exchange Nights” starting in Osaka on January 9 and continuing in Tokyo on January 10. Around 120 tourism organizations from both countries participated in the events. To disperse tourist traffic away from the Seoul metropolitan area to regional destinations, organizers highlighted “30 Selected Small Cities of Korea” as a key marketing theme, presenting “a familiar yet new Korea.”

KTO plans to develop travel content and tour packages linking Gimhae, Daegu, and Cheongju airports as gateways to regional travel and starting points for exploring Korea’s smaller cities.

At the “Shall We Go to Korea Today? Travel Festival” held at Roppongi Hills Arena in Tokyo over two days starting January 11, singer Sung Si-kyung was appointed as an honorary tourism ambassador for Korea. Sung, who gained high recognition in Japan through appearances on local variety shows last year, personally introduced the charms of regional tourism in Korea using his fluent Japanese. The event also featured various promotional programs designed to stimulate demand for visiting Korea, including a Hangang ramen experience zone and K-beauty makeup experience corner. Approximately 30,000 visitors attended over the two days, demonstrating strong enthusiasm for traveling to Korea.