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MVA offshore firm targets 18% hike in Korea arrivals
The Marianas Visitors Authority’s new offshore marketing company for South Korea has set a target of 18% increase each year for Korean arrivals to the CNMI in the next five years.
The vision is to have 226,770 Korean visitors next year in the CNMI and have at least 439,656 by 2024, according to Seijin Kim, account director of Tams Inc. Korea, in her presentation during MVA’s general membership meeting at the Saipan World Resort’s Royal Taga Hall last Thursday.
Kim said their target for 2021 is to have 267,589 Korean visitors; 315,755 in 2022; and 372,590 in 2023.
Their core strategy is to position the Marianas as an attractive destination for first-time travelers.
She said they will obtain beautiful and unique pictures of the CNMI through promotion, and build an iconic image of the Marianas.
Kim outlined promotional events with travel agencies and aggressively work with airlines like Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, and T’Way to expand services and launch charter flights as new routes from Korean regional destinations.
She said the expected Korea outbound market in 2019 is 30 million, with millennials leading the travel trends.
Kim said Koreans prefer to travel with their family and friends at comfortable schedule and services. Japan is the top destination for Koreans, followed by China, then Vietnam, the U.S. mainland, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, and Singapore.
Kim said the CNMI has a great potential for Korean travelers in their 20s, who are into sports activities, while its image as a family destination is stable.
