As the global influence of Korean cultural content continues to grow, the '2025 Korea Travel Festa' hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has successfully concluded. Held for two days from the 21st at GEM Center in Ho Chi Minh City, this event showcased various K-culture elements such as gaming, beauty, and food, drawing enthusiastic responses from young Vietnamese people. Approximately 70,000 visitors attended, demonstrating high interest in Korean tourism. This is interpreted as a strategic move by the KTO targeting the Vietnamese market, where overseas travel demand is explosively increasing with an economic growth rate of 7%.
Vietnam's 'Pro-Korea' Atmosphere, a Catalyst for K-Tourism Spread
Beyond simple economic growth, Vietnam's friendly atmosphere towards Korea acts as a powerful driving force for the spread of K-tourism. In particular, enthusiastic support for Korean professional e-sports serves as a natural gateway for the younger generation to experience Korean culture. Popular games like 'League of Legends (LoL)' have become important elements for experiencing Korea's gaming industry and culture, beyond mere entertainment.
Furthermore, the presence of Coach Kim Sang-sik, hailed as a 'national hero' of the Vietnamese national football team, further solidifies the positive image of Korea. The appointment of Coach Kim Sang-sik, who enjoys overwhelming popularity in Vietnam, as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism at this festival provided an opportunity for the Vietnamese people to perceive Korea as more familiar. Coach Kim is expected to widely promote the charm of Korean tourism through various promotional activities in Vietnam.
K-Culture Experiential Content Captivates Young Vietnamese
This Korea Travel Festa went beyond the traditional tourism fair format by operating various K-culture booths where visitors could directly experience Korean culture, which received great acclaim. The 'League of Legends' game experience zone, held with Riot Games Korea, attracted a continuous stream of gamers, while Amorepacific's K-Beauty experience booth provided Vietnamese women with the opportunity to directly experience the excellence and latest trends of Korean cosmetics. In addition, the K-Food booth, with Nongshim's participation, allowed visitors to taste various Korean foods such as ramen and snacks, drawing the attention of Vietnamese people interested in gourmet food.
In addition, global travel platform KLOOK promoted Korean travel products through live commerce, encouraging direct purchases on-site. Such experiential content and the provision of immediate purchase opportunities significantly contributed to converting potential demand for Korean tourism into actual visits. Especially, Vietnamese visitors, primarily composed of teenagers and people in their twenties, actively enjoyed Korean culture at these interactive booths.
Korean Tourism Focuses on Vietnam, a Key Market
Kim Jong-hoon, Acting Head of the International Tourism Division at the Korea Tourism Organization, emphasized, "Last year, approximately 510,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Korea, making Vietnam one of the core markets for inbound tourism to Korea." Indeed, in 2023, Vietnam ranked 5th among Korea's major inbound markets, demonstrating its significant importance. This proves that Vietnam, among Southeast Asian countries, holds particular strategic importance for Korean tourism.
The Korea Tourism Organization plans to continue its aggressive approach to the Vietnamese market, focusing on Vietnam's high economic growth rate and the expanding overseas travel demand primarily among the younger generation. The goal is to broadly promote the charm of Korean tourism from various angles through K-culture experiential content that can be enjoyed by all ages, such as this Korea Travel Festa, and thereby create substantial demand for visits to Korea.
The Korea Tourism Organization is pursuing a strategy of promoting travel destinations while fostering cultural empathy, thereby encouraging Vietnamese tourists to visit Korea from a long-term perspective. Considering the growth potential of the Vietnamese market, these efforts by the KTO are expected to become even more active in the future.
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