Visit Korea Committee Activities

“We are the Republic of Korea!” Launch Ceremony Took Place for 15th Global Promotional Delegation for Korean Culture and Tours
“We are the Republic of Korea!” Launch Ceremony Took Place for 15th Global Promotional Delegation for Korean Culture and Tours On Friday, December 27, 2016, a launch ceremony was held for the 15th Global Promotional Delegation for Korean Culture and Tours at the Main Hall of the National Museum of Korea. A total of 391 university students have been appointed as members of the 15th delegation—155 students for offline activities and 236 students for online activities. The launch ceremony was attended by the 155 offline delegates. Although it was early in the morning, the students gathered from all over Korea, even from such distant cities as Busan and Daegu! The lobby of the Main Hall was busy preparing for the launch ceremony that would begin from 10:50 am. All members of the Global Promotional Delegation for Korean Culture and Tours would be provided with activity tools that are needed to promote Korean culture and tours and the K-Smile Campaign. For those attending at the launch ceremony, extra souvenirs were also given, including a K-Smile kit, wet wipes, promotional postcards for Korea, maps, and a t-shirt. A video is being played that delivers the greeting speech and congratulatory address of Secretary-General Han Kyung-ah of the Visit Korea Committee. Due to the event celebrating the hosting of 17 million foreign tourists to Korea held at Gimpo Airport on the same day, Secretary-General Han could not participate in this ceremony. So she wanted to deliver her remarks of encouragement and support for the delegates through this video, alternatively. “Global Promotional Delegation for Korean Culture and Tours, Their Great Challenge!” a lecture was presented by Director Park Ki-tea of VANK. The first special lecture began with the students’ sharing their passionate dreams they wanted achieve through the diplomatic activities. “Global Etiquette for Practicing the K-Smile Campaign” by lecturer Kim Hye-kyeong, a guest lecturer appointed by the Visit Korea Committee. To make “a Korea that people want to visit again” and to raise the tourism competitiveness of Korea, it is important to welcome foreign tourists and friends who will be encountered at any time during the activity period always with warm smiles, friendliness, and care! The students could learn the most important and most basic elements. “Introduction to the Programs of the Visit Korea Committee and How to Promote Korean Culture and Tours” These special lectures were very meaningful and helpful not only to understanding the Visit Korea Committee’s different programs but to more effectively carrying out the activities of the Global Promotional Delegation for Korean Culture and Tours. With support by some commentators of the National Museum of Korea, the delegated students had an opportunity to have a museum tour and realize the value of Korean history and culture. Due to the large size of the museum and the interesting explanation by the commentators, an hour passed so quickly without noticing. Now is a vision proclamation! The delegates loaded up their dreams and passion into neatly made paper airplanes and flied them. The delegates will lead activities in Korea for about two months during their winter vacation from December 2016 to February 2017! We hope they become bona fide delegates after successfully completing all their six missions: participation in the K-Smile Pledge of Kindness, promotion of Korean culture and tours and the K- Smile Campaign, interviewing with foreign tourists in Korea, and collection of cases of acts of kindness. 🙂
Date : 2017/01/05 | Views : 3187
Promotion of the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year Campaign to Celebrate 17 million Tourists Visiting Korea!
Promotion of the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year Campaign to Celebrate 17 million Tourists Visiting Korea! For the first time in history, the number of overseas tourists visiting Korea exceeded 17 million! On December 27th, an event was held to celebrate the 17 millionth visitor to Korea at Gimpo Airport! Of course, the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year campaign could never miss this event, as it is always striving hard to achieve hosting 20 million overseas tourists! 🙂 As soon as we arrived at Gimpo Airport, we were met with the promotional materials commemorating the 17 millionth visitor to Korea here and there inside the airport. Our heart was pounding already. Who will be the lucky 17 millionth visitor? The entry gate was already busy with the welcome event. “Welcome to Korea! Have a great day!” Pororo and Loopy, our cute ambassadors for the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year campaign were also welcoming the visitors arriving in Korea! Pororo, the ambassador for the Visit Korea Year, always draws great popularity everywhere! 🙂 Now the news is finally here, that the 17 millionth visitor has arrived! (Heartbeat) Let’s see! The lucky winner was a tourist from Japan! She said she’d visited Korea to go shopping and watch a performance show together with her colleagues! She seemed bewildered at first but was happy to have such cordial welcome. A commemorative photo shoot with key figures who, by their presence, honored this welcome event for the 17 millionth visitor to Korea! (From left) President Kim Eung-soo of the Korea MICE Association, Vice President Kim An-ho of the Korea Association of Travel Agents, Chairman Kim Hong-ju of the Korea Tourism Association, Chairman Park Sam-koo of the Visit Korea Committee, Chairman Yoo Seong-yeob of the Education, Culture, Sports & Tourism Committee, Ms. Takanezawa Tomomi, Minister Cho Yoon-sun of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, President Jung Chang-soo of the Korea Tourism Organization, President and CEO Kim Soo-cheon of Asiana Airlines, Director Lee Jae-hoon of the KAC Gimpo International Airport Office, and Senior Vice President Ma Won of Korean Air) The event proceeded with a performance of exploding confetti cannons to celebrate the success in hosting 17 million visitors to Korea. A tremendous amount of gifts were waiting! Chairman Park Sam-koo of the Visit Korea Committee awarded a special package for the Korea Grand Sale, which is Korea’s representative shopping & tour festival. The package contained the K-Tour Card along with a hotel voucher and department store gift voucher. I felt so envious of her! *_* The official event ended after a commemorative photo shoot with key figures in attendance, the 17 millionth visitor, Ms. Takanezawa Tomomi, and her friends. Until the number of overseas tourists visiting Korea reaches 20 million, the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year will work harder for foreign tourists who visit Korea next year and the year after! 😀
Date : 2017/01/05 | Views : 3381
FAM Tour in North Chungcheong Province by the University Students’ National Smile Team
FAM Tour in North Chungcheong Province by the University Students’ National Smile Team The University Students’ National Smile Team of the Visit Korea Committee had an overnight trip to tourist attractions in Danyang and Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province from December 22nd to 23rd to experience the culture of kindness spread there. They were actively preparing for their departure despite the cold weather! The first area they visited was the Dodamsambong Peaks, which would be certainly chosen as the best among the eight sceneries of Danyang. The students could not ride a cruise due to the cold weather, but all of them were stuck with admiration by the magnificent scenery created by nature. They took a group photo in front of the breathtaking scenery! Then they left the Dodamsambong Peaks behind and moved to the Danuri Aquarium, the first and the largest freshwater aquarium! While listening to the explanation by the guide, the friends of the University Students’ National Smile Team appreciated the unfamiliar fishes with quite a serious look. Another great tourist resource in Danyang! Have you ever heard of the Gosu Cave—Korean Natural Monument No. 256? The cave was created when a limestone mass melted in water and vapor. The stalactite and stalagmite look bizarre at a glance but form a peculiar harmony, creating a mysterious scene. The students had quite trouble exploring the cave, right? After the end of their schedule on the first day, the students took a rest and then departed for Jecheon for the second day schedule! Their first destination was Hanji Experience Center—Hanji is a Korean conventional paper. From old times, the paper mulberries in Jecheon have boasted their high quality, so that they were used for donation to the royal family. The students seem quite serious making lamps with hanji at the experience center. 🙂 Their next place was the Jecheon Korean Medicine-EXPO Park. Here, the students challenged themselves to make herb chocolate. It is very interesting to see them concentrating on the chocolate-making as if they were patissiers. The sweet chocolate they received after the challenge was a bonus! The last activity scheduled for the overnight trip was experiencing tea therapy. They enjoyed foot massage using ingredients made of various herbal extracts such as milkvetch root, licorice root, and dried orange peel. And they also had the chance to produce their own teabags by themselves. This time, they could fully recover from the fatigue built up during the overnight trip. Thus ended the overnight exploration of tourist attractions and the culture of kindness in North Chungcheong Province by the University Students’ National Smile Team. They will continue doing their best to publicize our tourist resources and to widely spread the culture of kindness. Please stay tuned!
Date : 2017/01/05 | Views : 4141
Proclamation Ceremony Takes Place for Visit Gangwon Year as Part of the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year Campaign
Proclamation Ceremony Takes Place for Visit Gangwon Year as Part of the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year Campaign On December 21st, the Alpensia Convention Center in Gangwon Province held a proclamation ceremony of the 2017–2018 Visit Gangwon Year to wish for the success of the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Before the proclamation started, the University Students’ National Smile Team welcomed the event attendees with promotional materials for the 2017–2018 Visit Gangwon Year, the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year, and the K-Smile Campaign. This proclamation ceremony was honored by the attendance of 500 workers in many different fields—transportation, restaurants, shopping, tour information, and accommodation, among others—who help tourists visiting Gangwon to create precious and enjoyable memories. In particular, the Visit Korea Committee received an appreciation plaque for its contribution to the successful hosting of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the development of tourism in Gangwon through the 2016–2018 Visit Korea Year and K-Smile Campaign. (Applause) (From the left) Governor Choi Moon-soo of Gangwon Province, CEO Jung Chang-soo of the Korea Tourism Organization, and Secretary-General Han Kyung-ah of the Visit Korea Committee. The event proceeded with various programs, including a “Kindness Statement” performance with Workers’ National Smile Team members in Gangwon and a commemorative ceremony in which the main guests participated. The event closed with an exciting drawing show. The Visit Korea Committee partners the campaign of the 2017–2018 Visit Gangwon Year! We hope for your engagement with this campaign!
Date : 2017/01/02 | Views : 3651
Appointment Ceremony for the Members of the 12th Workers’ National Smile Team
Appointment Ceremony for the Members of the 12th Workers’ National Smile Team On December 19th, the Visit Korea Committee appeared at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan! What’s going on? Actually, the appointment ceremony of the 12th Workers’ National Smile Team is held today! The lobby in front of the main hall was so busy and crowded with many events before the ceremony. The members of the Workers’ National Smile Team are model workers of the tourism industry who represent Korea in welcoming foreign tourists at different points of contact with them, including in transportation, restaurants, shopping, accommodation, ports of entry/exit, and sharing of tourist information. These members are appointed through recommendations of local governments and related organizations and subsequent screening by an assessment committee. They publicize their own welcome practices and make contributions to the creation and spread of a welcoming atmosphere at their respective workplaces. The message wall became covered by messages written by the new appointees out of their sincere heart wishing for Korea to be fuller of smiles! The pledges of kindness made on tablet PCs drew attention. Everyone actively made his/her own pledge with a strong interest! A profile photo was taken to preserve the proud and beautiful smile of every member. One of the awarders of appointment certificate letters said that the most beautiful flower is a smile flower. Maybe everyone has a smile flower corsage on their left chest. 😀 A video interview was conducted on a side. I’m looking forward to watching the video containing today’s excitement and honorable moments! University Students’ National Smile Team members helped with the event today as well. 🙂 Inside the event hall, some people had already taken up seats and were taking commemorative photos. Even their backs seem as if they’re also full of smiles, right? At 3 pm, the 132 members of the Workers’ National Smile Team filled up all seats. Until now, a total of 548 people have been appointed as members of the Workers’ National Smile Team and thus active in practicing the K-Smile Campaign! Unfortunately, we could not award everyone an appointment certificate letter due to time limit, but we would like to send a congratulatory applause to the workers who received the certificate representing their respective points of contact with tourists! This performance was the grand finale of the appointment ceremony. Three giant balls appeared, reading “National Smile Team.” They lighted up as Vice Chairman Kim Hong-ju, Secretary-General Han Kyung-ah, and 10 representatives of tourist points put their hands on the balls at the same time. And two banners were rolling out down the wall, showing the K-Smile slogan. 🙂 Today’s event ended with commemorative photographing with all the attendees. We look forward to the smiles and kindness of these members of the Workers’ National Smile Team from now on. Korea’s smiles ♬ make the world smile. ♬ K-Smile! Let’s make a Korea where to want to visit again!
Date : 2017/01/02 | Views : 3690