“ well-known for its technology and industrial events .” Busan , the country ’ s second largest city , is itself a renowned MICE hub – having cultivated venues and hotels around its popular seaport .

Even further from Seoul , the Yeosu World Island Exhibition in 2026 is expected to attract two million international visitors to the coastal city .

Shin summarises KTO ’ s approach to spreading MICE across the peninsula : “ We ’ re working hard to ensure that regions other than Seoul are getting the spotlight as MICE destinations by providing regional dedicated tour programs and support funds .”

Dedicated to development To increase the MICE appeal of South Korea ’ s regions , the country has dedicated time and resources to improving and upscaling its venues . Here , no stone has been left unturned as convention centres , hotels , conference spaces and incentive offerings have been reimagined .

“ In Seoul , which has hosted 600 business events since the beginning of 2022 , we have over 400 hotels and 70,000 rooms to accommodate delegates ,” Shin explains .

“ There are over 70 luxury hotels which are four-to-five star , including historical and modern hotels run by artificial intelligence .”

The MICE scene of Korea ’ s metropolitan areas leans into its wide variety of accommodation . Shin says that the KTO works to pair event attendees with hotels and venues which best suit their event : “ We are excited that hotels work alongside the centres to welcome MICE visitors .”

“ Our support schemes work very closely with convention bureaus to attract more business events to Korea . When we work with them , we can provide the information and support they need – especially as organisers are looking for different types of support following Covid-19 .”

More programmes like this are in

development , which will match organisers with the ideal venues and incentives for their events .

Working alongside Korea ’ s national associations has also been key to revitalising the country ’ s MICE sector , as KTO has been encouraging them to host events alongside international associations . This has been a hands-on process for KTO , who are involved in both the bidding and hosting stages of events in the country .

“ We have a lot of great feedback from international associations ,” Shin comments . “ For these events , we have a funding association that we are looking to grow even bigger .”

Maximising on tech Reimagining Korea ’ s MICE venues stretches further than brick-and-mortar . As the first country in the world to roll out a nationwide 5G network , hybrid events are close to their heart .

South Korea is maximising on its pre-existing IT infrastructure to corner the post-pandemic hybrid market : “ Due to the recent pandemic , a lot of visitors will be considering what an event ’ s safety will be like . We really want delegates and organisers to feel that , when they visit Korea for a MICE event , there is no country which is safer . To that end , we are really focusing on the hybrid side in our support schemes .”

“ As of 2022 , we now have a good number of people coming in . We are looking to recover about 50 % of the loss we experienced by the end of this year ”

KTO ’ s interest in event-tech doesn ’ t stop at hybrid . Korea ’ s MICE sector has been investing in ‘ engaging technology ’ such as holograms , AI , and VR , according to Shin .

Reopening the borders The constant flux of travel restrictions has been an added challenge to revitalising South Korea ’ s MICE industry .

Pre-pandemic , 21 flights per week were arriving at Incheon airport from London across several airlines . Now , only seven flights are operating on the same route . However , fewer flights are only one side of this challenge ’ s coin .

Although there is no mandatory quarantine period , travellers are required to take an arrival test and isolate until the results come through . Visitors are also made aware that while wearing masks outdoors is no longer required , by law they must be worn inside .

Restrictions both in South Korea and worldwide are prone to changing quickly and unexpectedly ; this has been a wrench in KTO ’ s long-term planning : “ Our developments really depend on the travel restrictions , because planning month-by-month is currently very unpredictable ,” Shin says .

“ Despite that , South Korea has great infrastructure to recoup our MICE industry ’ s losses .”