Participating in the K-Tourism Business Day and Pre-promoting IRC 2028… Deploying Integrated Global Tourism and MICE Marketing

The Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation (CEO Kim Kyung-shik) announced that it participated in the "2026 K-Tourism Business Day in Nagoya" and the "International Rubber Conference (IRC 2026)," held in Nagoya and Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from November 4 to 6, carrying out promotional activities for Chungbuk's tourism and MICE sectors targeting local Japanese tourism industry and global academic and industrial stakeholders.

This visit to Japan was promoted to expand the basis for attracting Japanese tourists by utilizing the Cheongju–Nagoya regular flight route, while pre-promoting the International Rubber Conference to be held in Cheongju in 2028. In particular, it focused on integrated overseas marketing to publicize Chungbuk's tourism resources and international conference hosting capabilities to tourism industry and international conference stakeholders, respectively.

■ K-Tourism Business Day, Targeting the Chubu Tourism Market in Japan

The Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation participated in the "2026 K-Tourism Business Day in Nagoya," hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization’s Osaka Office at the Nagoya Hilton Hotel on November 5, introducing Chungbuk's tourism resources and tourism products to local Japanese travel agencies.

This event was organized on a scale of about 150 participants, including 29 institutions from the Korean side such as local governments and tourism-related organizations, as well as local Japanese travel agencies, airlines, and media representatives, and proceeded with a Korea tourism briefing session, 1:1 business meetings, and Korea-Japan tourism exchange programs.

During the Korea tourism briefing session, the Foundation introduced Chungbuk's geographical advantages located in the center of South Korea, accessibility through Cheongju International Airport, representative tourist destinations such as Chojung Haenggung Palace and Cheongnamdae, wellness tourism contents, and Cheongju Airport inbound incentives, thereby promoting the charm of Chungbuk to the local Japanese tourism industry. In particular, based on the Cheongju–Nagoya regular flight route, it emphasized Chungbuk's potential as a tourism destination that tourists in the Chubu region of Japan can visit conveniently.

In addition, through 1:1 business meetings with the local travel industry, the Foundation discussed the possibilities of developing Chungbuk tourism products and cooperating to attract tourists. Based on the consultation results, the Foundation plans to continue follow-up consultations and cooperation proposals regarding Chungbuk tourism and MICE targeting local buyers.

Notably, Chungbuk took the stage as the sole presentation institution among participating organizations for best practices in regional MICE attraction. CEO Kim Kyung-shik and Global Tourism Team Leader Kwon Chul took the stage as presenters to introduce Chungbuk's international conference attraction achievements and MICE competitiveness. They explained the transportation accessibility located in the center of South Korea, Cheongju OSCO which opened in 2025, and the professional, financial, and administrative support systems ranging from attracting to hosting international conferences, announcing that Chungbuk is growing as a new international conference venue.

Furthermore, they introduced major international event attraction and hosting cases in Chungbuk, such as the World Robot Olympiad (WRO), the World Forest Healing Forum, and the 2028 International Rubber Conference (IRC), presenting a vision for Chungbuk MICE where international conferences and regional tourism grow together based on cutting-edge industries and tourism resources.

■ Participating in IRC 2026, Intensively Promoting Chungbuk as the 2028 International Conference Venue

Meanwhile, the Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation conducted pre-promotion activities for the 2028 Chungbuk hosting at the "International Rubber Conference (IRC 2026)" held at Aichi Sky Expo in Japan from November 2 to 6. As part of Chungbuk's MICE promotion activities, the Foundation produced and supported promotional contents such as the IRC 2028 promotional video, English promotional booklets, and booth attraction souvenirs, and actively supported the academic society's global promotional activities by operating a joint promotion booth with the Rubber Society of Korea and Cheongju OSCO.

The International Rubber Conference is an international conference participated by experts in the world's rubber industry and related academic fields, and is scheduled to be held at Cheongju OSCO in September 2028. The three institutions composed a booth under the theme of 'IRC 2028 CHUNGBUK, KOREA' to introduce the international conference hosting environment and tourism resources of Chungbuk, the next host city. On-site, focusing on screening the IRC 2028 promotional video and holding events such as Instagram follows, they concentrated on publicizing Cheongju OSCO's international conference infrastructure, Chungbuk's accessibility, and regional tourism contents.

In particular, they presented the possibility of linking meetings and tourism so that international conference participants can experience Chungbuk's various tourism resources in addition to academic events. Through this, they aimed to induce visits by IRC 2028 participants to Chungbuk and expand their stay within the region.

In addition, at the IRC International Committee (IRCO) meeting held on the 5th, following the presentation on the Rubber Society of Korea's 2028 conference preparation status, Team Leader Kwon Chul presented Chungbuk's MICE infrastructure and international conference hosting support system, expressing the host region's commitment to support and laying the foundation for cooperation for a successful conference.

■ Continuously Expanding Global Marketing Linking Tourism and MICE

Through this visit to Japan, the Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation promoted overseas marketing linking tourist attraction and international conference hosting promotions. By publicizing Chungbuk's tourism resources and the accessibility of Cheongju International Airport to the local Japanese travel industry, and introducing Chungbuk's competitiveness as an international conference venue to global academic and industrial stakeholders, it laid the foundation for expanding future tourism and MICE demand.

CEO Kim Kyung-shik of the Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation stated, "It was meaningful in that we were able to directly interact with tourism industry officials on-site in Japan and jointly publicize Chungbuk's tourism resources and international conference hosting capabilities," adding, "Especially ahead of the 2028 International Rubber Conference, we actively introduced that Chungbuk is a destination that can provide not only international conferences but also various tourism experiences."

He continued, "Going forward, we will continuously strive to expand exchanges with overseas tourism markets including Japan centered around Cheongju International Airport, and ensure that international conference attraction achievements lead to regional tourism and economic revitalization."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]