Jeju is ushering in a resurgence in incentives and corporate events from the Asian market
With tourism in general on the road to recovery, Jeju Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is eyeing Asian markets that showed strong interest before the pandemic struck in 2020, as well as keeping a close watch on new sources.
“While China was the largest producer before Covid-19, South-east Asia was already seen as a new growth market. We engaged in bidding and promoting to countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Post-Covid, Singapore has emerged as a new market, while Taiwan is also a major contributor, Byeon Deok-Seung, chairman of Jeju CVB, told TTGmice.
In addition to incentive trips, Jeju CVB is also seeing demand for more corporate meetings. He added: “There is special support for organisers who choose our Unique Venues and Unique Activities. In addition, the Green MICE Support Program is the first project in Jeju to provide subsidies for sustainable, eco-friendly events.”
Efforts seem to be paying off. So far this year, Jeju has secured two groups from Taiwan, two from Singapore and five from Malaysia, with more enquiries coming in as air travel capacity increases.
Besides advertising and public relations, Jeju CVB will be participating in major tradeshows such as IMEX Frankfurt, IT&CM Asia in Bangkok, and ITB Asia in Singapore. These overseas promotions help Jeju CVB relay the range of support available from bidding, promotion and hosting to using Unique Venues and MICE-linked tourism products or Unique Activities.
Under the Unique Venues initiative, Jeju has identified 13 parks and gardens, cultural complexes, active sports venues and luxury hotels. In addition, there are 15 Unique Activities comprising experiential programmes featuring Jeju’s nature and culture, such as the Haenyeo women divers; female divers who dive into the sea without any equipment to harvest seafood.
The scale and amount of financial assistance vary across international conventions/conferences, corporate meetings and incentive tours. Events that meet sustainability guidelines may also receive additional funding.
International Convention Center (ICC) Jeju is South Korea’s only resort-style convention centre, located in Jungmun Tourist Complex.
Recent events include the 59th Orient and Southeast Asian Lions Forum in November 2022 which drew 8,500 delegates, including 1,500 from overseas. Another three global and Asian congresses this year are set to draw thousands of delegates.
“ICC Jeju provides a one-stop service for MICE events. We operate convention facilities, PCO/PEO service for conferences and events, and F&B service directly. So it is possible to accommodate organisers/planners’ various requirements,” explained Sungmi Jang, marketing manager, ICC Jeju.
On the sustainable front, ICC Jeju has installed multiple 751kw solar power generation facilities – the largest in scale on the island. The panels produce approximately 790,590kwh of electricity per year, saving approximately 100 million won (US$77,170) in electricity bills annually.
ICC Jeju also has plans to construct a new building with exhibition space and small meeting rooms, with completion expected in 2025.
Major hotel brands like Shilla and Lotte – the 500-key Lotte Hotel Jeju is a Unique Venue – are located in the south, providing planners with a range of five-star accommodation and meeting facilities.
Further west, Jeju Shinhwa World (JSW) – Jeju’s largest integrated resort – is also riding on the business events revival. JSW comprises four five-star hotels, more than 40 dining outlets, premium shopping centre, meeting facilities, theme park, water park and casino.
“While the majority of MICE bookings are still from domestic event planners, we are seeing significant growth in interest as well as actual bookings from Asia-Pacific, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong in particular,” shared Shinae Lee, JSW’s senior director, sales & marketing.
This is partly attributed to how Jeju’s profile on the world stage has been elevated, thanks to K-dramas and K-films that were broadcasted during the pandemic, noted Lee.
“JSW is looking forward to working more closely with Jeju CVB to promote Jeju among global MICE event planners. With improved infrastructure and two integrated resorts, the other being Dream Tower, it is a good time for the industry to work together to promote Jeju as the perfect bleisure MICE destination,” Lee concluded.
