TravTalk India Online Magazine
With no visa required for Indian nationals, Jeju Island is increasing its efforts to develop this potential source market and start with educating the trade about its spectrum of offerings.
Hazel Jain
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Jeju Tourism Organization recently held a joint roadshow in New Delhi and Mumbai to present the destination to travel agents. This was their second tourism presentation in India since 2015 when they made their India debut. Park, Hong-Bai, President, Jeju Tourism Organization, led the Korean delegation that comprised Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and three domestic businesses that were participating in the roadshow.
About 100 tour operators attended the show in each city. Indian nationals do not require a visa for visiting Jeju Island. Hong-Bai said, “This roadshow is an important first step for Jeju to tap the Indian market. Jeju will be working with Korea Tourism Organization and Hong Kong Tourism Board to boost promotion of each region in India and increase the satisfaction of Indian travellers who plan to visit Jeju.”
If the government strives to promote Jeju, it will be able to gain the upper hand not only in Korea, but also in competition with major cities like Japan and China
He added that such initiatives are key since Jeju is not a familiar tourist destination for Indians yet. “Our focus is therefore on diversifying markets because it is difficult to generate demand continuously if it is concentrated in certain countries. We have been promoting ourselves in Southeast Asia and now we plan to focus on marketing in India. Indian travellers show interest in other cultures and the possibility of growth from India will be greater than that of China. If the government strives to promote Jeju through continuous marketing, it will be able to gain the upper hand not only in Korea, but also in competition with major cities such as Japan and China.
There are also several Indian restaurants in Jeju,” Hong-Bai mentioned. Rather than just providing information on Jeju, its government has provided a foundation for joint promotion of various projects in the future. Speaking about his plan of action, Hong-Bai informed that he plans to build a network with the Indian travel industry and update them about various products that Jeju has to offer. He also plans to strengthen cooperation with destinations familiar to Indian tourists such as the Hong Kong Tourism Organization to jointly develop products.
No visa for Jeju
- Indian passport holders need a visa to visit South Korea (except Jeju island). But they don’t need one if they visit only Jeju.
