Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Holds 'K-Tourism Roadshow' in Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima, Japan

Securing Demand for Visits to Korea Ahead of Japan's Golden Week
Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran to Promote Korean Tourism in Fukuoka and Tokyo
Korea Ranked as the Top Overseas Destination for Japanese Travelers
K-Tourism Roadshow to Highlight Korea’s Appeal as a Close and Familiar Destination
Expanding Regional Tourism and Korea-Japan Exchanges through Collaborative Events

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 8th that, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, it will hold the 'K-Tourism Roadshow' in three Japanese cities?Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and Tokyo?from the 8th to the 10th. The event aims to secure demand for visits to Korea ahead of Japan's Golden Week holiday (April 29 to May 6). Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran will personally visit Fukuoka and Tokyo to expand the attraction of Japanese tourists.

Korea was the most visited country by Japanese tourists last year. Among Japanese overseas trips, Korea held a 24.8% share, ranking first, followed by the United States (14.1%) and Taiwan (8.9%).

Currently, Japan’s overall overseas travel recovery rate is about 65% compared to pre-COVID-19 levels, but travel to Korea has recovered rapidly at a rate of 98.5%. In a recent survey conducted by Japan’s leading travel agency JTB, Korea was ranked first as the 'overseas travel destination Japanese people are considering visiting,' indicating that demand for travel to Korea is expected to continue this year. As of February this year, the cumulative number of Japanese visitors to Korea increased by 22% compared to the previous year. The government aims to attract a record number of Japanese tourists visiting Korea this year, surpassing 3.52 million in 2012.

Jang Mi-ran, 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism [Photo by Yonhap News]

At the 'K-Tourism Roadshow,' under the theme 'Connecting Korea,' six local governments, regional tourism organizations, the Korea Association of Travel Agents, and related tourism industries will jointly promote Korea’s charm as a close and familiar travel destination.

On the 8th in Fukuoka, a 'Korea Tourism Briefing' and a 'Business Consultation (B2B)' will be held with the participation of 51 organizations from both countries and over 170 people. Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran will deliver a greeting and promote Korean tourism at the 'Fukuoka Korea-Japan Tourism Exchange Night' event, where government officials, industry representatives, and media from both countries gather.

On the 9th in Hiroshima, 22 Korean organizations will conduct business-to-business marketing targeting about 100 Japanese travel industry professionals. Hiroshima, geographically close to Busan, serves as a strategic hub to expand Japanese tourists’ visits to regional areas. Following 2023, the K-Tourism Roadshow will be held again here after two years. On this day, Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran will meet with Miyake Yoshiyuki, Honorary Chairman of the Japan Weightlifting Association, with whom she has maintained a long-standing friendship, to strengthen Korea-Japan sports exchanges and friendship.

On the 10th, a Korea Tourism Briefing and business consultation will be held at the Westin Hotel in Tokyo. The number of participating organizations from both Korea and Japan has increased by about 20 compared to last year. Reflecting the high local preference for 'K-Medical' and 'K-Beauty,' which last year attracted 440,000 Japanese medical tourists and 310,000 dermatology visitors, 10 Korean medical and wellness institutions, including dermatology clinics, plastic surgery clinics, and Korean medicine clinics, will participate.

Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran will attend the 'Tokyo Korea-Japan Tourism Exchange Night' event and meet with Takahashi Katsunori, Vice Minister of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, to discuss policy cooperation measures. She will also meet with Yada Motoshi, CEO of HIS Group, Japan’s leading travel agency and the largest outbound travel agency for Korea, to explore cooperation for expanding Japanese demand for visits to Korea and revitalizing regional tourism.

Musical actor Lee Hae-jun, who recently held his first concert in Tokyo and stars in the Korean original musical 'The Rose of Versailles,' based on a famous Japanese manga, will perform key songs from The Rose of Versailles at the Tourism Exchange Night, showcasing the charm of Korean performing arts tourism.

Earlier in March, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization held a K-Tourism Roadshow targeting consumers in Aomori, Japan. In May, a K-Tourism Roadshow aimed at summer vacation demand will be held in Sapporo, targeting about 20,000 local consumers.

Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran stated, "Last year, with many of our citizens visiting Japan, exchanges between the two countries exceeded 12 million people, reaching an all-time high. This year marks the symbolic 60th anniversary of the normalization of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations. As we complete one 60-year cycle and open a new one, I hope Japanese people will lead the expansion of exchanges between our two countries."