South Korea re-opens for Indian travellers
Keeping up with the re-emerging travel boost, South Korea has now re-opened its borders for Indian travellers. The country is focusing on imparting a luxury experience to its travellers and has entered the market with a series of well-thought campaigns and programmes. Read on to know more.
In a closed press meet, Korea Tourism Organization announced the reopening of its borders to Indian tourists. With a revised set of services from the pre pandemic era, Korea looks to host a high influx of Indian travellers in their country. Shedding light on the extended services to welcome tourists into the country from all segments, Young-Geul Choi, Director of
Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) India, said, “We have further elevated traveller experience with immersive experiential centres, re-imagined tourism offerings and look forward to hosting our Indian visitors.”
With the introduction of the two-year campaign ‘Travel to Korea’, the tourism board aims to relax travel restrictions to rekindle its tourism sector. KTO India has also been active in promoting educational tours to Korea through various offline and online activities. Acknowledging the new trends, the KTO India Director, believes that the popularity of K-culture (K-pop, K-drama, etc) amongst people of all ages will help increase tourism. Moreover, various events and special travel packages are in place to promote luxury travel to South Korea, “luxury travel is one of our focuses,” Choi added.
Elizabeth Samuel, the Deputy Regional Head at VFS Global, addressed important touchpoints for procuring visas to South Korea. The largest outsourcing visa service provider, VFS Global, is involved in administrative and non-judgemental tasks, enabling client governments for diplomatic missions abroad. The company has a legacy of 21 years, with 65 client governments, 3530 Visa centres globally, 243 billion applications, and a huge fleet of experts, nurturing 8500+ people in the organisation globally. The applicant Journey in VFS Global is carried through two contact points, the VFS Global website and a dedicated contact centre team. The current wait time for citizens of New Delhi is 7-10 working days, however, the wait time can be reduced if one opts for an express visa.
Niketan Sharma, Sales Manager, Asiana Airlines said, “Currently, Asiana Airlines
operate two flights in a week, every Monday and Friday connecting the two capital cities: Delhi and Seoul. Asiana is reviewing the increased demand to Korea and will respond with increased frequency at the earliest.”
Asiana Airlines debuted in the India market in 1995 and now has a global reach in 21 countries. Their inclusivity ensures facilities to take care of the disabled, along with provisions to cater to the needs of infants, unaccompanied minors and pets. The Magic Boarding Pass gives out 10, 20 or 30 per cent discounts on tours,
entertainment, food and travel.
Tejpreet Singh, Sales and Marketing Manager, Korean Air, shared the history of the airlines and the ray of positivity to match the pre-pandemic numbers in the near future. Speaking on the sidelines of the event to travel trade Journal, he said, “Korean Air currently operates two flights a week, connecting Delhi and Seoul on Mondays and Thursdays. We’re ready to meet the (high) demands in the near future and are waiting on nations to lift the COVID-19 restrictions.”
Aufrin Rahman, Assistant Manager, Korea Tourism Organization, India shed light on using the K-quarantine model to fight COVID-19 and quickly flatten the curve. The prerequisites to travel to Korea do not include quarantine needed (regardless of vaccination status). Visitors need a visa along with COVID-19 test report. The entry process to travel to Korea includes an easy, four-step process.
Highlighting the upcoming activities and marketing strategy, Let’s go Korea Savings plan was discussed, launched in April 2022 and is a Recurring deposit scheme. The focus of the Korean office is on luxury travel and promotion of certain destinations in Korea by collaborating with local Korean governments, educational trips and ‘Bleisure’ - business travel extended for leisure purposes.