[TTL News] “We will strive to become a tourist city that can live up to the number one city that Seoul wants to visit.” Seoul Mayor  


Oh Se-hoon at the '2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) Opening Ceremony' hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by the Seoul Tourism Organization announced that Seoul will do its best to live up to the world's No. 1 tourist city. 




▲The VIPs attending the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) opening ceremony waved their hands and took commemorative photos


. A total of 250 people, including the CEO of the Seoul Tourism Organization, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the city council, the tourism industry, and buyers attended, and it was a great success. 


The Opening Ceremony was hosted by Seoul Tourism AI Moderator Seoul. The ceremony proceeded in the order of commendation for two citizens, group photo shoot, and dinner. 




▲ 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) Opening Ceremony The 


opening ceremony on this day was accompanied by a performance in the form of a media art performance along with a dynamic video screening of Seoul, an attractive tourist city that has become more abundant. , my soul), welcome to all of you who came to the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart Opening Ceremony”.




▲ Media art performance performance at the opening ceremony of Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) 2023 


Moderator AI Seoul is being reborn as an attractive tourist city with more things to enjoy and see 24 hours a day. From hiking tours, you can feel the sensuous Seoul where tradition and modernity are harmonized, and it boasts a 24-hour glowing charm that contrasts with the splendid night view and entertainment under the black night sky. Introducing the city as a city that provides advanced tourism services that are smarter and simpler, befitting the above technological infrastructure city, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization are aiming for an era of 30 million foreign tourists in Seoul based on such richer and more attractive tourism contents and advanced technology. He continued the opening sequence by saying that he was preparing a lot to show the attractive Seoul to more foreigners.  




▲ Gil Ki-yeon, CEO of Seoul Tourism Organization giving a progress report at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM)


First, there was a progress report by Gil Ki-yeon, CEO of the Seoul Tourism Organization. In a progress report, CEO Kim said, “With the global tourism market recovering rapidly, it is a great honor to host the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart with domestic and foreign tourism industry officials and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.” , DDP, where this travel mark is held today, was created by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and is a famous MICE Unique Venue and tourist destination that represents Korea,” he started the progress report.  


CEO Gil said, “Seoul International Travel Mart celebrated its 9th anniversary this year. This year, 768 domestic and foreign tourism companies from over 50 countries, including major Asian market countries, Europe, the Middle East, and Europe, registered online and offline, showing an increase of about 27% compared to last year,” he said. “In particular, this year, offline overseas buyers 135 people from 33 countries, a 55% increase from last year’s 87, were invited directly to Seoul to attend this event, and the number of pre-consultation requests reached 2,700, so I could feel the keen interest of celebrity buyers.” said. 




▲ Gil Ki-yeon, CEO of the Seoul Tourism Organization, who is giving a progress report at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM), said, “I am


confident that this will serve as a foundation to completely shake off the stagnation caused by COVID-19 and rekindle the revitalization of Seoul tourism. He said, "This event consists of various programs such as online and offline B2B business consultations, welcome nights, and seminars, starting with a preliminary event for participating buyers yesterday." 

“Especially, this year, 8 autonomous districts came together to promote the charms of every corner of Seoul, and not only this, but also Busan, Daegu, Gangwon-do, and Iksan, etc. will be reborn as a venue for coexistence between Seoul and the provinces,” he emphasized. “Now is the time for tourists around the world to leap forward again. I hope that this Seoul International Travel Mart will serve as a stepping stone for that leap, and I hope that you will experience the latest Seoul lifestyle as well as great business results as we have face-to-face meetings.” 


CEO Gil concluded the progress report by emphasizing, “We will continue to make continuous efforts to establish a network of domestic and foreign tourism industries through Seoul International Travel Mart and to become a key event in the development of tourism in Seoul.”  ▲ At the opening ceremony of the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) , there was a welcome speech




by Seoul Mayor  Oh Se-hoon following the welcome speech.


Mayor Oh started his welcoming address by saying, “I am sincerely glad to welcome all of you in the domestic and foreign tourism industry who have joined us at Seoul International Travel Mart 2023.” 


Mayor Oh asked the question, “Are the people in the tourism industry a little bit inclined to work these days? I remember putting in an effort to give it to you, but this year, I think everyone will have a taste for life.”  


Mayor Oh said, “After receiving an article report that about 80% of tourists had recovered before the corona as of the first quarter, I thought that there was only one thing left for you to do. We were able to successfully hold several events this year,” he said. “120,000 foreign tourists came to Seoul Festa and BTS performances. Seoul has now become a world-class hip city.” “Seoul City set an ambitious, somewhat ambiguous, aggressive goal of 30 million tourists last year,” he said. I don't know if I'm going to build it, so I feel more nervous and responsible." 




▲Sehun Oh, Mayor of Seoul, giving a welcome speech at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM), 


said, "I will work with the determination to create a Seoul city where foreign tourists can come and enjoy things to see, enjoy, and eat." “I said that I will work on the tourism industry with the mindset of being a community of destiny together with the tourism industry who are here, and create places to visit, places to enjoy, and things to eat. “There are many tourists from abroad here. I promise him Seoul is now ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in any country survey, and I will really try to become a tourist city Seoul that can live up to that path.” 


Mayor Oh said, “When I introduced that the city of Seoul’s brand new motto is ‘Seoul, my soul’, and in fact, last year, the slogan created for tourism was adopted as the city’s slogan, Mayor Oh interpreted it this way. He finished his welcome speech by emphasizing 'Seoul will become when your mind is relaxed', 'Seoul City will become a tourist city when your mind is relaxed', and 'Seoul My Soul' once again. 




▲ Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) 2023 Vice-Chairman Nam Chang-jin giving a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony Seoul Metropolitan City Council Vice- 


Chairman Nam Chang-jin said, “I sincerely congratulate you on the opening of Seoul International Travel Mart 2023, the largest tourism business exchange event in Korea. I would like to express my gratitude to the officials of the Seoul Tourism Organization for preparing this event for the revival of the Korean industry.” 


Vice Chairman Nam said, “For three lost years, countries around the world that had stopped due to COVID-19 are rolling up their arms again and starting to invite tourists.” It announced an action plan to attract big-ticket tourists. The Republic of Korea is also facing the historic task of selecting this year and next year as the Visit Korea Year and attracting 30 million tourists.” 




▲ A video introducing Nam Chang-jin, vice chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, who will give a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM)  


Vice-Chairman Nam said, “These days, when I go to Myeong-dong or Gwanghwamun, I see a lot of happy tourists. The number of foreigners who entered Korea from January to April of this year was 2.73 million, a six-fold increase compared to the same period last year. Driven by this momentum, we must make Seoul a city of infinite charm so that it always ranks at the top of my travel bucket list around the world,” he said. There is K-content. We must keep in mind that the interest and liking of people around the world is the most decisive timing to build the history of Seoul tourism. Traditional courses such as Myeong-dong, Namsan, and Insa-dong are good, but an alternative that will revitalize Seoul tourism is to build up-to-date tourism infrastructure that shows Seoul's lifestyle, such as new restaurants that are gaining popularity on social media. I heard that the theme of this event is also the Seoul lifestyle. We look forward to suggesting new Seoul tourism trends such as K-contents and travel. He concluded his congratulatory speech by emphasizing that he hoped that this event would serve as a venue for active exchanges and rich contracts between domestic tourism companies and become a catalyst for revitalizing tourism in Seoul.  




▲ Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (center) and proud Seoul citizens Jang Kwon-soo and Kim Bong-hyun taking a commemorative photo after receiving a special commendation at the opening ceremony of Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) 2023 


This was followed by a surprise special event in which certificates of commendation were awarded to two Seoul citizens who showed a safe city to foreign tourists visiting Seoul. An airport bus driver who immediately found and returned the wallet, even if it was 300,000 won in cash lost by a Russian tourist in April last year, and a luxury bag, including 5 million won in cash and 2 credit cards, lost by a Chinese tourist in May. Kim Bong-hyeon, a charming Seoul citizen, is the main character of the special winner. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon presented the plaque on behalf of the citizens of Seoul to make it even more special for the winners as they contributed greatly to raising the status of Seoul as a safe and reliable tourist city through exemplary civic awareness and active civic practices. It made me remember it as a shining award.   




▲The VIPs attending the opening ceremony of the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) are taking a commemorative group photo while blowing their hearts as the last step in the opening ceremony 


. In the photo shoot, when Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon sang “Seoul,” all the VIPs and participants in the audience responded with “my soul,” looking back and shouting “my soul.” All attendees raised their hands in a 'fighting pose' and prepared for a photo shoot with the VIPs. After the overall photo shoot, the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart Opening Ceremony and welcome night were all completed with a dinner prepared as a packed lunch. 


2023 Seoul International Travel Mart will be held at DDP in Dongdaemun, Seoul until the 24th. With 345 overseas buyers from 48 countries participating, this event is expected to be a good opportunity to introduce B2B business exchanges to discuss the composition of new tourism products, introduce recent tourism trends, and promote local tourism resources.  




▲ 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) poster Marking


its 9th year this year, Seoul International Travel Mart consists of various programs such as ▷Baai Familiarization Tour ▷B2B Business Consulting ▷Opening Ceremony ▷Tourism Promotion Booth Operation ▷Seoul Tourism Seminar. In particular, the B2B business conference is a core program of Seoul International Travel Mart, attended by 768 overseas buyers and domestic sellers. 354 overseas buyers (135 offline, 219 online) and 414 domestic sellers registered, showing an increase of more than 26.5% compared to last year's 607 companies. The number of pre-consultation matching (PSA) cases exceeded 2,700, showing the keen interest of participating companies in the endemic era. 




▲ Overseas buyers and sellers conducting on-site consultations at the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) (reference photo)


In particular, this year, 135 companies were invited, 55% higher than last year’s 87 companies, to increase the scale of offline face-to-face consultations. greatly increased It is expected to become the largest business venue in Korea that not only rebuilds the domestic tourism network that has collapsed due to COVID-19, but also produces practical results. 




▲ 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) venue (reference photo)


In addition, the tourism promotion booth will be reborn as an event that promotes tourism in Korea and realizes win-win tourism between Seoul and the provinces, with the participation of local government tourism organizations as well as autonomous districts in Seoul. Through this, it is expected that it will promote local tourism resources and encourage foreign tourists visiting Seoul to visit local areas naturally.

 

▲ Image of the main stage of the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) Opening Ceremony 


Ki-yeon Gil, CEO of the Seoul Tourism Organization, said, “In the full-fledged enteric era, the 2023 Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) will lay the foundation for revitalizing the domestic and international tourism industry. We hope that it will be a place where we can prepare and promote the lifestyle of Seoul to the world," he said. "We will do our best to advance the era of 30 million foreign tourists in Seoul through this event." 

Dongdaemun DDP, Seoul = Senior Reporter Lee Sang-in lagolftime@ttlnews.com