Aiming for 410,000 Thai Tourists... Korea Tourism Organization Launches Intensive K-Tour Promotion in Bangkok

'Love Korea 2026' Festival Attracts 70,000 Visitors in Three Days;

Korea-Thailand Travel Mart Sees 7,000 Consultations

Over 30 Regional Tourism Products Featuring Yorch Launched;

Focus on Converting Interest Into Korea-bound Travel Demand by Year-End

The campaign to convert the growing enthusiasm for K-culture in Thailand into actual demand for travel to Korea is ramping up. The aim is to attract 410,000 Thai tourists this year by offering a diverse range of interest-based tourism products, from travel packages fronted by the popular actor and K-pop idol Yorch, to Jeju marathons, run trips, and pet trips.

At the "Love Korea 2026" Korean Culture and Tourism Festival held at CentralWorld in Bangkok, Thailand, key attendees are taking a commemorative photo. The Korea Tourism Organization reported that 70,000 local consumers visited the event held from the 21st to 23rd. Korea Tourism Organization

The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 24th that, together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, it held the 'Love Korea 2026' Korean Culture and Tourism Festival in Bangkok, Thailand from the 21st to the 23rd. The event, held at CentralWorld in Bangkok, attracted 70,000 local consumers over three days.

During the opening ceremony, the organization released a promotional teaser video for Korean tourism featuring the popular Thai actor and K-pop idol Yorch. The video highlighted Korea's travel attractions through a short-form drama tailored to local Thai sensibilities. Lee Chaemin, well-known for appearances in dramas such as 'Chef of the Tyrant', also introduced Korean tourism content such as hiking and gourmet tours.

The event featured a K-Food Zone in collaboration with Samyang Foods, as well as K-beauty & wellness sections, a Korean calligraphy experience zone, and a Han River Park-themed relaxation area. In the K-Travel Zone, a variety of unique travel products—including the Jeju Mandarin Marathon, run trips, and pet trips—were introduced, along with new industrial tourism content based on advanced industries such as Motor Studio and smart farms.

Business-to-business tourism product exchanges also took place. The 'Korea-Thailand Travel Mart' brought together 142 organizations from home and abroad, resulting in approximately 7,000 consultations. The organization expects that these activities will generate sales of about 2.1 billion won.

Starting in September and continuing through the end of the year, the organization will focus on converting the heightened local interest into actual demand for travel to Korea. More than 30 new travel products are being developed—including 'Yorch's Korea Trip', which connects advertising shoot locations to the hubs of Gimhae and Daegu airports in collaboration with global travel platform Klook—and promotions are planned in partnership with 50 creators.

The organization has set a target of attracting 410,000 Thai tourists this year, an increase of about 23 percent compared to the previous year. Han Yeook, Head of International Tourism Content at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "We aim to maintain solid growth in the Thai inbound tourism market through tailored promotions that reflect the preferences and local trends of Thai consumers."

The organization is also expanding its local collaboration network to capture the Thai market. In July, Park Sunghyuk, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, visited Thailand to discuss ways to develop new travel products to Korea with the local travel agency Quality Express. The organization also signed financial business agreements with payment platforms such as Krungthai Card and TrueMoney to expand spending by Thai visitors to Korea and improve payment convenience.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.