Culture Ministry Attends 'FITUR' Tourism Fair... Aiming to Attract European and Latin American Foreign Tourists

Korea to Participate in FITUR 2025
Aiming to Attract European and Latin American Tourists

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 21st that they will participate in the '2025 Spain International Tourism Fair (FITUR)' held in Madrid, Spain from the 22nd to the 26th to attract long-distance foreign tourists from Europe and Latin America.

FITUR is one of the world's top three international tourism fairs held every January. It is the only one among the top three tourism fairs where both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) consultations take place, resulting in intense tourism diplomacy. This year, institutions and companies from 152 countries and over 9,000 organizations are participating worldwide.

Diversifying the inbound market is essential for the stable growth of the tourism industry. Although the scale of visits from Europe and Latin America is not yet large, their growth rate is steep. Last year, the number of visitors from Spain increased by 153% compared to 2019, before COVID-19. Mexico also saw a 187.9% increase in visitors last year compared to 2019, thanks to the resumption of direct flights in August last year.

At this year's FITUR Korea Pavilion, visitors will be introduced to various Korean experience preview events such as traditional games including "Mugunghwa kkoci pieot seumnida" (the game featured in the drama "Squid Game"), Taekwondo demonstrations, and making name stamps in Hangul. The pavilion will also promote Korean tourism products by theme, including Hallyu, outdoor activities, and traditional culture. In addition, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit will be held, and Jeonju City in Jeollabuk-do Special Autonomous Province, which has recently attracted attention from foreign tourists, will participate to focus on attracting foreign visitors to local regions.

Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran will attend the FITUR opening ceremony on the 22nd and engage in tourism diplomacy by meeting with officials from Spain, Mexico, Andorra, Greece, and the World Tourism Organization. On the 23rd, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to actively promote the charm of Korean tourism by hosting the 'Korea Night' event chaired by Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran. In particular, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Korea-Spain diplomatic relations this year, efforts will be made to strengthen tourism cooperation between the two countries.

The Korea Night event will be held at Casino de Madrid, a historic venue designated as a Spanish cultural heritage site. Approximately 100 people are expected to attend, including Rosario S?nchez Grau, Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism; Carlos Rojas, Chairman of the Korea-Spain Parliamentary Friendship Association and member of the Spanish People's Party; senior officials from the World Tourism Organization; as well as influential travel industry representatives and local media personnel.

Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran stated, "Spain is a strategic key point that can serve as a foothold for entering not only the emerging European market but also the potential Latin American market. We will pioneer the high-value Spanish-speaking Latin American market based in Spain and continuously promote diversification of inbound visitors."