South Korea has opened its first provincial tourism office in Thailand to boost bilateral tourism.
South Korea's Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization on Saturday held an event inaugurating their first local tourism office in Thailand.
Its Bangkok office is the first Korean provincial tourism agency in Thailand and aims to promote Gyeonggi to the public and strengthen cooperation between the two nations.
The launch included a B2B networking event between Korean and Thai tourism operators and a two-day public showcase of Gyeonggi Province and its cultural attractions at Siam Paragon, which ended yesterday.
Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous region, surrounds Seoul and borders the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). It is a key economic and cultural hub.
Lee Namjoo, Tourism Policy Team Manager of Gyeonggi Province, said Thailand was the largest Asean source of tourists to Korea before Covid-19, ranking sixth globally with 570,000 visitors in 2019.
He highlighted a 2023 meeting between Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dongyeon and Thailand's then-tourism minister, Phipat Ratchakitprakarn, which led to the office's establishment.
"Thailand has the largest number of Asean visitors to Korea, making it a key market," Lee said.
He expects Thai tourist numbers to rebound from 330,000 in 2024 to pre-pandemic levels of 570,000 with the office's support.
