South Korea’s Leading Agency Honoured
eTourism Co., Ltd. has bagged the award for “South Korea’s Leading Destination Management Company 2025” at the highly-rated World Travel Awards (WTA). This win makes it the seventh year in a row that the company has clinched this title, confirming again its global standard and quality of service.
The World Travel Awards, which started in 1993, is respected worldwide for celebrating excellence in the travel, tourism, and hotel industry, and many call it the “Oscars of the travel industry.” eTourism received high praise for its work as a “civilian diplomat,” giving top-quality services to international visitors coming to Korea.
Innovation in Inbound Tourism
The company is currently running special programmes for tourists from more than 70 countries, focusing on incentive tours, corporate meetings, MICE events, and promoting regional tourism. They are also moving forward with innovation by building an AI-powered automation system for their inbound operations, which will improve both efficiency and customer satisfaction. The company’s professional handling of MICE and VIP events is also helping to boost the local economy and in creating jobs.
“We are grateful to our clients and partners for their trust, which has made this seventh consecutive award possible,” said Lee Hee, CEO of eTourism. “As a civilian diplomat for Korea, we will continue to contribute to the growth of global tourism and work in partnership with our local communities.”
Case Study: Pokémon Event Drives Big Tourism for Jeju
The strength of Korea’s tourism strategy can be seen in a major event on Jeju Island. The “Pokémon Wonder Island in JEJU” project has seen visitor numbers pass 100,000 since it started on October 2. This special event is taking place at the Jeju Jungmun Tourist Complex.
The main programmes include a Pokémon character exhibition and original store at the Yeomiji Botanical Garden, a “Pokémon GO Stamp Rally” all over the complex, and South Korea’s first-ever “Pokémon RUN.” The Yeomiji Botanical Garden, especially, has been changed to the “Pokémon Green Garden,” a natural space where the characters seem to come alive, attracting many families.
Major Economic Boost for Jeju
It has become a normal sight to see visitors playing Pokémon GO on their smartphones around the Jungmun complex. The “Pokémon RUN” at the Jungmun Golf Club was completely sold out. A study showed that out of the 4,000 people who participated, more than half travelled to Jeju just for this event.
The economic benefit is very clear. According to the Jeju Tourism Organisation, the number of visitors to the Jungmun Tourist Complex between October 2 and 12 increased by 42.8% compared to the same time last year. At the same time, consumer spending jumped up by 61.9%. Even when compared to last year’s Chuseok holiday period, average daily spending increased by 47.8%, showing a major boost to the local economy.
This project, which will end on October 26, is a joint effort between the Korea Tourism Organisation, Jeju Tourism Organisation, Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) Jeju Airport, the Jungmun Tourist Complex Council, and Pokémon Korea.