Korea
Market Overview
The Korean market is an important source market from Asia for Hawaii. Affluent travelers from high-end market segments are primarily from the Seoul and Busan regions. Hawaii continues to be a favored romance destination for Koreans. In 2019, this high-value segment accounted for more than 26% of all Korean visitors to Hawaii. Hawai‘i Tourism Korea (HTK) will recover the Hawaii travel market from the COVID-19 pandemic by revitalizing market demands in collaboration with industry partners with refined strategies.
Strategy
- Accelerate the pace of Hawaii bookings and stimulate the call-to-action in partnership with online booking platforms run by retail groups and trade partners.
- Develop strategic marketing co-ops with key airlines to stimulate resumption and growth in air services for the competitive post-pandemic era.
- Launch a new initiative, the “Sustainable & Safe Hawaii Branding Campaign” with leading OTAs and consumer brands with large fan bases. Promotion will aim to inspire Korean travelers to continue visiting the Hawaiian Islands and deliver the key messages of the campaign to foster responsible patronage of the islands.
- Partner with NAVER, the largest internet portal site in Korea, to promote “Experience Aloha, It is Time Again.” HTK will publish a series of Hawaii posts to position the Hawaiian Islands as a safe travel destination during the post-COVID-19 era. Each post will be developed along a specific theme embracing HTA’s four strategic pillars to target high-spending and mindful Korean travelers.
