Hainan FTP promotional event makes its way to South Korea

On May 31st, on the wave of the free trade port initiative, and carrying the radiant sunshine and enthusiasm of Hainan Island, the "Hainan Free Trade Port (Seoul) Promotion Event," organized by the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports in conjunction with the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce and Hainan International Economic Development Bureau, was held in Seoul, South Korea. Over 200 attendees, including the first vice minister of South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Jeon Byeong-guk, chief of mission at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, Fang Kun, former Prime Minister of South Korea, Ding Shijun, representatives from the Hainan Provincial People's Government, as well as representatives from the political, business, tourism, aviation, and media sectors of both Hainan and South Korea, participated in the promotional event.

During the event, in their opening remarks, the delegation used four English words: "Outgoing, Progressive, Energetic, Noteworthy," to introduce the current development status and direction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, emphasizing Hainan's readiness as a new frontier of China's opening-up policy and its preparedness to further deepen exchanges and cooperation with South Korea. The Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports introduced to the audience the current development status and opportunities of tourism in Hainan under the framework of the free trade port, thoroughly showcasing the construction of product composition and infrastructure within Hainan tourism. Additionally, four major cooperation plans were announced, including cooperation with major tourism enterprises and airlines in South Korea to promote the opening of more direct flights between the two regions and establish reciprocal tourist exchanges and promotion between Hainan and South Korea, thus further strengthening exchanges and increasing the number of visits between young people in both regions in the fields of tourism, sports, and culture, and expanding investment and cooperation channels for tourism and cultural enterprises in both regions.

To deepen cooperation achievements in various fields between Hainan and South Korea, the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports, the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce, and the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau respectively signed strategic cooperation agreements with representatives from the tourism, aviation, and trade industries in South Korea. Among them, the Department signed agreements with two major tourism groups in South Korea, Hanatour and Modetour, as well as two airlines, T'way Air and Air Busan, which are currently operating flights between Hainan and South Korea. The agreements reached a consensus on matters such as increasing flight frequencies, joint marketing, and mutual tourist exchanges, setting a new record for the most intensive, in-depth, and comprehensive signing cooperation since Hainan's first promotion in South Korea. Additionally, on the previous day, May 30th, in the presence of the delegation and representatives from Jeju Province Government, the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports also signed a MOU to Jointly promote the workation project with the Tourism Exchange Bureau of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, providing cooperation direction and the guarantee of a framework for the further deepening of exchanges in tourism, culture, and sports between the two regions.

As a representative speaker from South Korea, Jeon Byeong-guk extended a warm welcome to the visiting Hainan delegation. He stated that South Korea and China are geographically close, and Hainan, as a well-known beautiful and welcoming island tourism destination in China and even the world, will benefit from the mutual promotion of the tourism industry in both regions. With the increasing number of flights and preferential policies, he believes that more and more South Korean tourists will visit Hainan, and exchanges and cooperation in various fields such as tourism, sports, and culture between the two regions will become closer. Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also congratulated the successful hosting of the promotional event through a video message, highly praising Hainan's practice of building a bridge of friendship and promoting people to people exchanges between China and South Korea through tourism.

This event, organized and held in South Korea by the Hainan Provincial Government delegation after a six-year hiatus, is a practical action to implement the spirit of the China-Japan-South Korea Trilateral Summit and an important measure to enhance the international visibility of the Hainan Free Trade Port and continuously expand the international influence of Hainan tourism brands. In the future, Hainan will focus on becoming an international tourism and consumption destination, on consistently carrying out more diverse, rich, and widely spread overseas promotional activities and communication, on presenting Hainan to the world, and on displaying the charm of the free trade port.

South Korea is the second largest source of inbound tourists to Hainan. Currently, Hainan has opened four routes to South Korea, with flights operating between the two regions on a daily basis. From January to April of this year, Hainan received approximately 20,000 South Korea tourists, and they are expected to exceed 80,000 for the whole year. South Korea is also an important trading partner of Hainan. In 2023, Hainan's goods trade with South Korea increased by 56.5% and service trade by 894.7%, with the actual use of South Korea capital amounting to 180 million yuan, and direct investment in South Korea amounting to 5.76 million US dollars, for a growth of 100%.

(Source: Hainan International Media Center)