First Korean-Singapore Travel Bubble Visitor Arrives in Korea... Incheon Airport Accelerates Demand Recovery

Incheon Airport Strengthens Online and Offline Promotion Activities with 'Welcome Back Promotion'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] The first visitors to Korea will arrive following the signing of the travel safety bubble agreement between Korea and Singapore. Incheon International Airport Corporation plans to launch various promotions to quickly recover travel demand in line with the phased return to normal life, starting with a welcoming event for these visitors.

On the morning of the 15th, Incheon Airport Corporation announced that it will hold a welcoming event at the arrival hall of Terminal 2 at Incheon Airport, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, for the first travelers visiting Korea since the start of the travel bubble with Singapore (Korean Air flight 646).

At the welcoming event, traditional guards in ceremonial attire who perform the changing of the guard ceremony at Incheon Airport, along with a welcoming team dressed as the Korean tourism character 'Kingdom Friends,' will greet the arrivals from Singapore. Commemorative gifts and bouquets will be presented to the arriving passengers as a token of welcome.

Passengers entering through the travel bubble will undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the Incheon Airport COVID-19 testing center before moving to their accommodations to continue their travels in Korea. Previously, Incheon Airport established a COVID-19 testing center at Terminal 2 in December last year and added two more centers at Terminal 1 in the second half of this year.

Starting with this welcoming event, Incheon Airport Corporation plans to fully launch the 'Incheon Airport Welcome Back Promotion' to accelerate the recovery of travel demand in line with the phased return to normal life. This promotion, which continues until the second week of next month, includes a prize recommendation event at the end of this month offering duty-free gift cards and hand sanitizers to Incheon Airport passengers. Next month, the corporation will invite major overseas travel agencies from Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Americas, along with two major airlines and Delta Air Lines, to hold a familiarization tour and webinar event at Incheon Airport.

Additionally, famous overseas influencers will be invited to produce promotional videos introducing Incheon Airport and Korean culture, and online promotional activities using social networking services (SNS) will be strengthened.

Meanwhile, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, passenger traffic at Incheon Airport dropped by more than 90% compared to 2019, with monthly international passengers falling below 300,000. However, since the second half of this year, the number has recovered to the 300,000 range, showing a slight upward trend.

Kim Kyung-wook, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, "As we take steps toward the precious return to normal life in accordance with the phased recovery plan, we hope that the arrival of passengers through the Singapore travel bubble will gradually revive the stagnant air travel demand. Incheon Airport Corporation will do its utmost to ensure that domestic and international passengers can use Incheon Airport safely by thoroughly managing quarantine and service operations."