TORONTO — Korea welcomed more Canadians in 2017 than it did in 2016, thanks to a strong start in January that continued throughout the first half of the year.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Canadian arrivals to Korea recorded a slight increase of 0.3% last year, resulting in 176,256 Canadians visiting the country. But according to John Hyungkwan Park, director for the Korea Tourism Organization Toronto Office, numbers began to decline in July, with the North Korea situation impacting the travel market in the second half of the year.

The fact that Canadian arrivals remained positive is especially notable, considering that worldwide arrivals to Korea saw a 22.7% decrease in 2017.

“It’s thanks to our very supportive tour operator partners that 2017 was a plus year. We believe 2018 will become a remarkable year to welcome more visitors to Korea than ever before,” said John Park.

With the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, the KTO has made a concerted effort to target Canadians through packages developed by its tour operator partners as well as showcasing official mascots in different cities across Canada. FIT travel will continue to be the trend in the Canadian market as more travellers discover Korea on their own.

Newly introduced to FIT travellers is the ‘Discover Seoul Pass’, which allows guests to explore more than 21 of Seoul’s must-see landmarks and attractions. It includes free admission and discounts, and also serves as a transportation card for easy travel around the city.

Moreover, niche tourism products will remain a focus in 2018, including Korean beauty, wellness, Taekwondo and MC&IT.

“We sincerely appreciate our industry partners for all their efforts in promoting Korea and developing new packages. We will continue to work closely with partners to develop more new travel packages to the Canadian market.”

For more information on travel to Korea, go to visitkorea.or.kr.