Marketing the United States to Korean Travelers

Abstract

South Koreans have emerged as enthusiastic and relatively high-spending international travelers. The United States is currently the second most popular destination for Koreans, but other nations are bidding for Koreans' business, notably Australia. To encourage more Koreans to visit the United States, American travel-related companies and agencies should reflect Koreans' specific cultural preferences. Those preferences include traveling as groups, speaking Korean, and eating Korean food, notably kimchi. American hotels should have Koreanspeaking employees and willingly accept or exchange Korean currency. One particularly promising travel segment is honeymooners, who currently travel to such nearby locations as Thailand and Guam. Travel agencies should host Korean travel agents and writers on familiarization trips to demonstrate that the relatively expensive trip to America is well worth it.