'Tourism Organization Targets Middle East Medical Market with Comprehensive Marketing at Local Tourism Expo'

Participation in the Middle East's Largest B2B Expo ATM
'Korean Culture Medical Tourism Fair' Held in Doha, Qatar

The government has actively launched efforts to attract Middle Eastern tourists to Korea in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Qatar.

K-Event Zone at the Korea Culture and Medical Tourism Exhibition during the Middle East International Tourism Expo.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

On the 13th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced that they participated in the Middle East International Tourism Exhibition, the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), held from the 6th to the 11th, hosting the Qatar Korea Culture and Medical Tourism Expo.

The Ministry and the Tourism Organization first took part in the ATM held over four days starting on the 6th at the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC) in the United Arab Emirates. ATM is the largest B2B international tourism exhibition in the Middle East, with participation from about 165 countries worldwide.

The Korea Tourism Organization operated a large-scale Korean tourism promotional booth jointly with 45 organizations including domestic local governments, airlines, and travel agencies. At the promotional booth, which was composed of various themes such as medical wellness, luxury, and MICE, the Tourism Organization conducted over 5,900 consultations with local travel industry professionals to develop and attract tourists to Korean travel products.

The Middle East is a representative high-value tourism market, with an average spending of $1,700 per visitor, about 37% higher than the average spending of $1,240 by foreign tourists. The region has a very high affinity for Korean medical tourism and beauty, with women accounting for 50% of Middle Eastern visitors coming for medical tourism purposes.

In particular, noticing the steady increase in inquiries about wellness and luxury tourism to Korea, the Tourism Organization successfully held a customized medical tourism briefing session for female VVIPs in collaboration with the Zabeel Ladies Club during the exhibition. The Zabeel Ladies Club is an institution under the Dubai Women’s Association, operating women-focused luxury social programs such as fitness, spa, and wellness for affluent women in the UAE.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Korea-Qatar diplomatic relations, the Ministry and the Tourism Organization set up a large promotional booth at the Mall of Qatar, the largest shopping center in downtown Doha, Qatar, for two days starting on the 10th, hosting the "Korea Culture and Medical Tourism Expo."

They planned three promotional spaces centered on K-tourism, K-culture, and K-medical, creating a "Korea Street" where visitors could directly experience all Korean cultural tourism content in one place. Events reflecting diverse local consumer interests included a spicy K-ramen challenge and simple Korean-style medical wellness experiences such as basic herbal treatments. A congratulatory performance by the domestic K-pop idol group MCND captivated about 10,000 local attendees.

During the event, 15 local MZ generation individuals who are enthusiastic fans of K-POP and Korean culture were selected as "K-Travel Junior Leaders." They plan to actively promote Korean tourism in Qatar using major social media platforms.

To improve travel convenience for Middle Eastern tourists visiting Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization launched the public-private Middle East inbound tourism consultative body "Alam Arabi Korea" in February. Alam Arabi Korea, meaning "Arab World in Korea," includes 31 private companies across six sectors: accommodation, medical, beauty, shopping, food and beverage, and K-culture.

Lee Hak-joo, Director of the International Tourism Headquarters at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "Although the Middle East accounts for only 1% of foreign tourists visiting Korea, it is a representative high-value market with high travel expenditure and a relatively long average stay of 10.5 days compared to the overall foreign tourist average of 6.7 days. The Tourism Organization will continue to expand access to Korea by designating local travel agencies as Private Travel Sellers specializing in high-value inbound products and supporting the launch of distinctive Korean travel products tailored to the travel characteristics of Middle Eastern customers through ultra-segmented marketing."