(Corp.) The Korea Tourism Organization (Chairman Park Sam-koo) held the appointment ceremony for the promotional ambassadors of the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’ at 5:00 PM on the 6th at the Heungnyemun Plaza of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
On this day, President Park Geun-hye, Kim Jong-deok, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Park Sam-koo, Chairman of the Korea Tourism Organization, heads of local governments, ambassadors to Korea from various countries, tourism industry personnel, and 1,000 foreign tourists jointly attended the appointment ceremony for the promotional ambassadors of the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’.
Chairman Park Sam-koo declared the official launch of the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’, receiving congratulatory remarks from President Park Geun-hye. This was followed by the appointment of Korean actor Lee Min-ho and AOA’s Seolhyun as promotional ambassadors for the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’ by Kim Jong-deok, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
After the appointment ceremony, the exemplary commendation event for the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’ was announced, participated in by President Park Geun-hye, promotional ambassadors, flight attendants, taxi drivers, tourist police, and other representatives of the tourism industry as ‘smiling nation’ envoys. This event was composed of promoting the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’ and the ‘K-Smile Ambassador Campaign’ involving enthusiastic participation from all citizens.
Following the official event, a two-hour special performance was held featuring a K-pop dance competition with participants from 12 countries including Nigeria, China, Poland, and Australia, as well as the ‘Visit Korea Years’ special edition ‘Open Concert’.
Through a declaration statement, Chairman Park Sam-koo urged, ‘As we welcome the Visit Korea Years, we hope that tourists visiting Korea will come again. We will greet tourists from all over the world with warm smiles and hospitality.’
-‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’, ‘K-Smile Ambassador Campaign’ unveils new logo
Also on the same day, the Korea Tourism Organization released the promotional logos and slogans for the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’ and the ‘K-Smile Ambassador Campaign’.
The logo for the Visit Korea Years utilizes the recognition of the past ‘Visit Korea Years 2010–2012’ while enhancing consistency with the past and simplifying it for clearer communication. Additionally, the letter K, symbolizing Korea, takes the shape of a ribbon wrapping a heartfelt message, vividly expressing a warm welcome to international visitors. The organization will actively promote key events such as K-POP festivals and K-tour buses through the high-profile branding of the letter K.
At the same time, the logo for the ‘K-Smile Ambassador Campaign’ and the promotional slogan ‘Korea’s Smile, Passed on to the World’s Smile’ were unveiled. The K-Smile Ambassador Campaign is a citizen-participation initiative aimed at spreading our warmth and smiles to create a Republic of Korea that leaves foreign visitors with unforgettable memories. Focusing on educational and reception standards at tourism service touchpoints such as accommodation, transportation, dining, and shopping, the campaign aims to enhance the sense of hospitality and solidify a culture of warmth among citizens, thereby contributing to the success of the ‘Visit Korea Years 2016–2018’ and the ‘2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics’.
The organization has been conducting integrated online media promotions related to the declaration ceremony since the 6th (recently), engaging both domestic and international tourists through various activities on the official Visit Korea homepage and social networking platforms such as Facebook and Weibo.
A key project for creating a ‘Korea that the world will never forget’
Taking the declaration ceremony as an opportunity, the Korea Tourism Organization aims to realize a long-term vision of creating a ‘Korea that the world will never forget’, with the future goal of successfully attracting 20 million tourists and developing in line with quality, promoting diverse projects.
▲ Expanding individual tourist visits to Korea through special incentives and promotional campaigns
▲ Attracting repeat visits from international tourists by enhancing the details of visit services
▲ Upgrading regional tourism through the successful hosting of major events such as the ‘2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics’
▲ Advancing four major promotion strategies for ‘SMARTourism’ development through civilian participation and public-private cooperation, promoting nationwide tourism activities
SMARTourism mainly includes: Smile, the K-Smile Ambassador Campaign with full public participation; Memorable, special incentives and promotional campaigns that leave more unforgettable memories for tourists (such as the Korea Grand Sale, Korea International Travel Mart, Visit Korea Pass, etc.); Awesome, diverse and fun cultural events related to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics (such as special events with Winter Olympics stars, K-culture festivals, PyeongChang Art Project, etc.); and Reliable, trustworthy services for safe and convenient travel in Korea (such as K-tour buses, KTour cards, Hands-free services, etc.).