Chungcheongnam-do

▲ Japanese power bloggers participating in familiarization tour held for three days 

Chungcheongnam-do has started “viral marketing” to attract Japanese tourists.
Chungcheongnam-do organized a three-day familiarization tour around Taean, Boryeong, Buyeo and Gongju from the 23rd of this month by inviting 11 power bloggers from Japan.

The participants in this tour post news about their trips in Japan and Korea on their blogs and spread it through SNS to their large number of visitors. On the 23rd, the first day of the familiarization tour, the power bloggers visited Jeongnimsaji Museum in Buyeo and experienced the essence of Buddhist architectural culture in the era of Sabi of Baekje. They also participated in an activity to create fans using a rubbing technique at the Baekje Culture Experience Center.

On the 24th, the second day, they moved to Boryeong in the morning and experienced sky biking and zip-lining. The power bloggers then toured Gaehwa Art Park and visited Chollipo Arboretum and the site of the Tulip Festival in Taean where they enjoyed the beautiful nature of Korea and the colorful flower festival.

On the 25th, the last day, the power bloggers experienced traditional Korean culture at Gongju Hanok Village and toured Tomb of King Muryeong and Magoksa Temples before boarding a plane home.
The power bloggers shared the “News on Tourism in Chungcheongnam-do” in real-time by posting it to their SNS sites each time they visited a tourist site.

Fujioka Lisa who lives in Osaka and runs a website providing information about Korea said, “It is a great pleasure to be able to experience the beautiful nature in Chungcheongnam-do on this flowering spring day.” She added, “I will post information about tourism in Chungcheongnam-do and share it with netizens in Japan.”

“This familiarization tour with power bloggers is expected to produce effects in attracting individual Japanese tourists and will be helpful in creating the image of Chungcheongnam-do as an attractive tourist destination for the Japanese,” said Jo Han-young, Director of Culture, Sports and Tourism Division. Jo explained that Chungcheongnam-do will develop a variety of programs to attract a greater number of Japanese tourists in the future.

Chungcheongnam-do will hold a tourism exposition in Osaka and Kumamoto in June and October, organize a familiarization tour by inviting travel agencies in August and participate in “Tourism EXPO Japan 2018” in September.

It also plans to publish the third volume of “CN Story,” a publicity booklet for tourism in Chungcheongnam-do created jointly with Japanese travel writers since 2016 and use it for tourism marketing in Japan.