Taiwan has welcomed its 1 millionth visitor from South Korea this year, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday, adding that its South Korea campaign next year would focus on increasing the number of tourists revisiting Taiwan.
Kim Hye-in arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday evening, the bureau said, adding that it was her first trip to Taiwan.
Kim and a friend were planning to spend four days in Taiwan and were pleasantly surprised with the unexpected welcome, which included gifts and souvenirs, the bureau said.
Photo courtesy of the Tourism Bureau
Kim was given flight tickets by EVA Airways and coupons from some five-star hotels.
Carrefour Taiwan sponsored the event and provided coupons worth NT$30,000.
Kim was also given a bicycle and coupons to visit hot spring hotels in northern and southern Taiwan.
The bureau said it hopes that the coupons would motivate Kim to return to participate in the Taiwan Cycling Festival and Taiwan Hot Spring Festival.
The bureau started tapping the South Korean market in 2013 by featuring Taiwan on the travel-reality show Grandpas over Flowers, it said.
The program raised Taiwan’s profile in South Korea and attracted many independent travelers to the nation, the bureau said.
Taiwan was last year rated the seventh most popular destination among South Korean tourists, up from No. 11 in 2012, the bureau added.
The bureau has also invited South Korean Internet celebrities to visit Taiwan and has introduced tourist information online, it said.
Tour operators in Taiwan and South Korea have been working together to attract tourists to both nations, the bureau said, adding that the measures have been instrumental in the nation welcoming its 1 millionth visitor from South Korea.
The number of South Korean visitors last month reached 941,067 for the year, an increase of 19.91 percent compared with the same period last year, bureau data showed.
The nation on Tuesday last week welcomed its 10 millionth international visitor this year at the airport.
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