Entertainers, bloggers will play a key role
In an effort to lure more visitors from Asia, the Korea Tourism Organization is enlisting the help of popular entertainers, recruiting an army of bloggers and offering a host of prizes to highlight the country's attractions through two new promotional efforts.
The first project, called "Korea: 100 Sparkles", aims to add a new dimension to the country's tourism efforts by focusing on potential visitors in China, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.
Under the deal, which was announced on Tuesday, the KTO will team up with online giant Yahoo to highlight 100 Korean destinations and attractions using hallyu (Korean wave) entertainers who are recognized in other parts of Asia.
The promotional campaign runs from July 20 through Dec. 10 and consists of three stages. From July to August, travelers from the four aforementioned countries can select the Korean entertainers they'd most like to meet. From August to September, 100 pre-selected personalities will introduce various aspects of Korean culture and tourism. Lastly, from October to December travelers will be able to submit user-created content and video clips promoting Korea. Organizers of the campaign will select eight finalists to carry out "missions" around the country and interview Korean entertainers.
At the same time, the KTO is collaborating with the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea to bring on bloggers to further promote the country. The "Blog Korea! Visit Korea!" campaign runs through Aug. 31. Bloggers that want to participate will focus on presenting information and opinions on Korean culture and tourism. In September, the KTO will give various awards to the top 100 bloggers based on content and number of visits. Thirty of the most active bloggers will be invited to visit Korea. And, in May 2010, three finalists will be awarded with vacation packages worth between $5,000 and $10,000.
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By Jason Kim
