Launch of Middle East Korea Visit Public-Private Council 'Alam Arabi Korea'

Creating a Middle East-Friendly Tourism Environment
Promoting Customized Tourism Product Development
Participation of 31 Companies in 6 Sectors Including Luxury Accommodation and Medical Services

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 28th that it held the launch ceremony of the public-private consultative body ‘Aalam Arabi Korea’ to revitalize inbound tourism from the Middle East in cooperation with the Korea Tourism Organization.

Abdullah Saif Alnuaimi, UAE Ambassador to Korea, is giving a greeting speech at the launch ceremony of the Middle East Korea Tourism Public-Private Council 'Alam Arabi Korea' held on the 28th at Shilla Hotel, Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The launch ceremony was held at the Yeongbingwan of the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on the same day. The name of the consultative body, ‘Aalam Arabi Korea,’ means ‘Arab world within Korea’ in Arabic, reflecting the intention to create a Middle East-friendly inbound tourism environment through the consultative body.

The event was attended by Minister Yoo In-chon and Second Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, ambassadors from five Middle Eastern Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, as well as 31 companies from sectors such as accommodation, medical care, beauty, shopping, food and beverage, and K-Culture.

Last year, visitors from the six GCC countries to Korea numbered 31,029, showing a 90% recovery rate compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (34,868 in 2019). The Middle East is experiencing the fastest growth rate in overseas tourism worldwide and is attracting attention as a high-value tourism market due to characteristics such as high tourism expenditure, long stays, and large group travel including extended families.

In particular, among the Middle Eastern 2030 generation, the popularity of K-pop and K-dramas has increased favorable sentiment toward Korea, and with growing interest among Middle Eastern women in K-beauty, wellness, and medical tourism, the demand for inbound tourism from the Middle East is expected to rise further.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, officially launched the public-private consultative body with 31 companies across six key sectors of high-value Middle Eastern tourism?luxury accommodation, medical care, shopping, beauty, food and beverage, and K-Culture?to establish a Middle East-friendly tourism infrastructure and develop customized tourism products for Middle Eastern visitors.

Yoon In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is giving a greeting speech at the launch ceremony of the Middle East Korea Visit Tourism Public-Private Council 'Alam Arabi Korea' held on the 28th at Shilla Hotel, Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Additionally, the Ministry will share trends in Middle Eastern inbound tourism, key customer status and demands such as state visits and business tourism from the Middle East with member companies, and provide education and consultation to help the industry understand Middle Eastern culture.

Furthermore, it plans to support the development of customized tourism products utilizing Middle East-specialized tourism services and infrastructure, and actively promote these through Korean tourism overseas promotional events held locally, such as the Qatar Culture and Tourism Expo (May) and the ‘Dubai K-Tourism Roadshow’ (November).

‘Aalam Arabi Korea’ will develop customized services specialized for Middle Eastern visitors, such as diverse food options and convenience facilities considerate of Middle Eastern cultural zones, which are considered the most important factors when Middle Eastern tourists select travel destinations, and will establish related infrastructure and expand information guidance.

To enable Middle Eastern visitors to Korea to easily access necessary services and facilities, multilingual information on restaurants, medical facilities, and tourist attractions will be provided not only through 'Visit Korea,' the representative overseas promotional channel of Korean tourism, but also on online map services and tourism applications (apps) popular among locals.

Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, “There is an Arab proverb that says, ‘Choose a companion before you travel.’ We will take a strong first step on the journey to revitalize inbound tourism from the Middle East by partnering with companies in accommodation, medical care, beauty, shopping, food and beverage, and K-Culture to create tourism services considerate of Arab culture.”