Seychelles once again showcased at South Korea’s largest travel show, HanaTour 2018 |28 June 2018
The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) participated in the 12th HanaTour International Travel Show (HITS).
The event was held at the Kintex Exhibition centre in South Korea’s Goyang city, from June 7 to 10, 2018.
It was under the banner ‘Seychelles – the Heaven you must visit before you die’ that the STB team showcased the island destination to the South Korean travel trade and potential visitors.
STB was represented by the director for India, Korea & Australasia, Amia Jovanovic-Desir, and representatives of the STB Office in South Korea, headed by Julie Kim.
The first day of the show was dedicated to B2B meetings reserved for travel trade partners and members of the press, allowing them to visit the stands and conduct meetings with representatives of various travel destinations.
The following three days allowed the public to visit the travel show, book travel packages with special offers, and broaden their knowledge about the destinations present.
Interestingly, the Seychelles stand featured photos chosen by consumers, after the STB office in South Korea prompted Facebook followers to choose their favourite Seychelles photo to be displayed as the stand’s exterior image. More than 300 people had commented within two days, and the Top 5 photos highlighted by the followers were chosen.
The Seychelles’ stand caught the attention of many visitors who were very eager to participate in the various promotional activities. Gift packages were on offer to people booking a trip at the fair.
Visitors to the stand were enticed to take a photo at the stand, uploading it on their Social Media pages with the hashtags -- #Seychelles #bucketlist #HITS, and stand the chance of winning a Seychelles’ branded portable electric fan.
More than 5,000 people also signed up for a lucky draw, where STB partnered with Constance Ephelia Resort to offer a trip for two to the Seychelles. The lucky winner of the lottery draw has won 2 return air tickets and 3-night accommodation in Seychelles.
Mrs Jovanovic-Desir, who also conducted a series of sales calls to some of the major trade partners, said there is a market share for Seychelles in South Korea.
“Korea’s outbound travellers market stood at 22 million in 2017. I am positive that our active efforts to work on making available a ‘Korean friendly’ support – such as a website, brochures and online training programmes in Korean language will allow the destination to reap more benefits from the Korean market, which is a very sound source market for Seychelles,” she added.
HanaTour is one of the largest travel agencies in South Korea and the Kintex Exhibition centre in South Korea’s Goyang city is held annually. The 2018 HITS saw the participation of almost 1,000 stands representing some 800 different travel destinations and companies from across the globe. The show was visited by 105,000 visitors this year, which represents a 5 percent increase compared to last year.
Julie Kim, who heads the STB office in South Korea said: “Seychelles is highly reputed on the Korean market as an upper-end honeymoon destination. The interest in the destination is also increasing among the family and senior segments. South Koreans fly at least 16 hours to get to Seychelles, and there is no direct flight. The growth of Korean visitor numbers may be slow but its yield per person is very high.”
Prior to the HanaTour International Travel Show, STB also hosted an appreciation evening for press and major trade partners who are actively working to boost awareness of the Seychelles islands among Korean holidaymakers.