Yeosu-si, Soaring as a 'Global Tourism City' with MICE Wings

Strengthening Attraction of Incentive Tours from Overseas Companies in Southeast Asia and Beyond

Rising as a Global Tourism City through Enhanced International Recognition

Yeosu City in Jeollanam-do recently announced that the number of overseas tourists related to MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) visiting Yeosu has noticeably increased, making the MICE industry a new growth engine for Yeosu tourism.

On the 20th, 25 members of the Health and Safety Committee from the Royal Thai Armed Forces Staff College, invited by Yeosu City and the Korea-Thailand Cultural Center (KTCC), visited Yeosu. They toured Aeyang Hospital and the Hospital Museum, and visited major tourist attractions such as Aqua Planet, the Marine Cable Car, Odongdo Island, and Art Land.

According to data lab statistics provided by the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of foreign tourists visiting Yeosu surged from 28,439 in 2022 to 230,920 last year, and as of the end of June this year, 240,509 tourists have visited Yeosu.

Commemorative photo of the joint fam tour by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Singapore branch [Photo provided by Yeosu City]

Previously, to compensate for low international recognition and weak transportation accessibility, the city has been continuously promoting activities to attract foreign visitors by leveraging a broad network, strengthening cooperation with overseas branches of the Korea Tourism Organization, revitalizing cruise tourism, and attracting overseas incentive groups.

Attention is focused on whether these efforts to foster the MICE industry will inject new vitality into the somewhat stagnant Yeosu tourism sector.

▶ Joint projects and cooperation system establishment with ‘Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) overseas branches’

Yeosu City is promoting various cooperative projects with overseas branches of the Korea Tourism Organization, which have networks worldwide including Mongolia, New York, Singapore, and Taiwan, to actively promote Yeosu in various countries.

Main projects include ▲Familiarization tours inviting Mongolian travel agencies (6 local agencies) for developing local airport-linked products (Mongolia branch) ▲Familiarization tours inviting Korean travel agencies in New York (12 local agencies) for developing local-linked MICE tourism products (New York branch) ▲Familiarization tours inviting Singaporean travel agencies and journalists to promote island and gourmet travel programs loved by Koreans (Singapore branch, 23 local agencies) ▲Filming of the Taiwanese entertainment program ‘Hi, Yeongeopjung(?! 營業中)’ (Taiwan branch), among others.

Notably, the familiarization tour jointly promoted with the Singapore branch resulted in securing the Shangrila Cycling Tours bicycle association event scheduled for March 2025, and successfully attracted the Pinnacle Travel Services golf incentive group visit.

This month, about 240 Mongolian university students will visit Yeosu City along with Jeollanam-do and Gwangju. They are expected to experience unique activities rarely available in Mongolia, such as kayaking, paddleboarding at the Youth Marine Education Center, and riding the marine cable car.

▶ Yeosu Port rapidly emerging as a new cruise port following the lifting of international cruise entry restrictions... ‘Cruises arriving one after another’

Yeosu Port is one of the five major domestic cruise ports alongside Incheon, Jeju, Busan, and Sokcho ports.

From 2020 to 2022, international cruise entries were prohibited due to government restrictions on foreign-flagged vessels, but since the lifting of the ban in 2023, international cruises have been continuously arriving, elevating Yeosu Port as a new cruise destination.

In fact, last year, 3,977 foreign tourists visited Yeosu Port through five cruise arrivals, including the Chinese cruise ship Zhao Shang Yi Dun, which visited Yeosu for the first time in seven years. This year, four cruise ships including Seabourn Sojourn from Seabourn Cruise Line and Le Jacques Cartier from Ponant are scheduled to dock, bringing an expected 3,479 foreign tourists.

What is particularly encouraging is that new international cruise lines are calling at Yeosu Port. This indicates that Yeosu Port’s international recognition as a cruise destination is steadily increasing and further suggests that Yeosu Port has sufficient competitiveness not only as a port of call but also as a home port.

▶ Efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the first-ever real-time online briefing session by a local government

During the COVID-19 pandemic when travel was restricted, Yeosu City promoted itself worldwide through online marketing leveraging personal networks.

Since 2022, through the ‘YEOSU MICE DAY’ initiative, the city has continuously conducted promotional activities by inviting over 200 overseas travel agencies and journalists from the U.S., the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries to real-time online briefing sessions.

The overseas online MICE briefing sessions are unprecedented among local governments excluding the Korea Tourism Organization, and Yeosu City’s pioneering efforts have expanded opportunities in overseas markets.

A city official stated, “Compared to the metropolitan area, small provincial cities have relatively low global recognition, so we are focusing on overseas marketing to raise awareness. We will further accelerate efforts to attract foreign visitors to Yeosu to revitalize and diversify the tourism market.”