KTO to Host 2007 ASTA IDE

The 2006 list includes 6 technologies developed for first time in the world

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), the largest and most influential travel association in the world with 20,000 members in 140 countries, is returning to Korea 23 years after its last major event here.

The 2007 ASTA International Destination Expo, which will be held from March 25-29 on Jeju Island in South Korea, will feature a number of exciting seminars and events aimed at drawing attention to current trends in the Asia-Pacific region's tourism industry, as well as showcasing attractions in Korea and other destinations in Asia. This year's ASTA IDE in Jeju, commonly publicized as "an education-intensive, international meeting designed to immerse travel agents in the culture, attractions, and travel business of each year's chosen destination,"is not only for travel agents and suppliers who specialize in Korea as a destination, but it is also for those seeking to become a part of Asia's exciting tourism market. U.S. travel suppliers are more than welcome (have been invited) to attend the IDE,
and many are expected to be seeking qualified partners and promote their products.
The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), 2007 ASTA IDE Jeju organizer and Korea's national government agency in charge of promoting Korean tourism, hosted the ASTA World Congress and Tradeshow in 1983 in Seoul, and it is proud to once again welcome ASTA and its members back to Korea. The KTO's ASTA Secretariat director, Jung Sung-Ae, said the KTO expected more than 1,200 travel agents and journalists from around the world to attend the conference, and with all the events, seminars, and pre- and post tours planned, there would be plenty of opportunities to build relationships with tourism industry professionals.
Some of the informative events at the IDE include opportunities for agents to meet with local tourism vendors in a trade show setting. These vendors will be suppliers that agents would normally never have the chance to meet at a large U.S. show; they will be the smaller vendors that agents really need to get to know in order to thoroughly and expertly sell destinations in Korea.
Seminars at the Jeju IDE will include everything from destination certification seminars to niche seminars with many guest speakers attending to offer their expertise on a variety of tourism-related subjects.
In addition to all the events and seminars planned, the KTO together with Jeju provincial government has organized a number of pre- and post-tours for ASTA IDE Jeju participants. These tours, which will showcase some of the Korea's most amazing destinations, will be the perfect opportunity for participants to discover the attractions, traditions, cuisine and culture of Korea. Korean cuisine in particular is renown the world over for its health benefits, and IDE Jeju participants will have the opportunity to sample a number of Korea's most sought-after dishes. Tours to other parts of Asia, including China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, will also be offered.
Need another reason to sign up for the 2007 ASTA IDE's The KTO, along with the Jeju provincial government, Asiana and Korean Airlines,
and a number of Jeju hotels, are offering participants huge discounts on airfares from certain destinations in North America as well as hotels in Jeju. These once-in-a-lifetime rates are only being offered to IDE Jeju participants and should not be missed.
Tourist arrivals to the Asia-Pacific region are growing at an unprecedented rate. According to the recently released Asia-Pacific Tourism Forecast for 2006 to 2008, international tourist arrivals will continue to grow throughout the region by 8 percent per year. Travel professionals worldwide are definitely going to see a steady increase in the number of clients ready to visit this exotic side of the world. The best way to prepare for this surge and gain in-depth knowledge of Asia-Pacific's total tourism potential is to attend the 2007 ASTA IDE in Jeju, Korea, this March. The destination expo will give you the experience and skills needed to profitably and proficiently sell popular destinations in Jeju, Korea, and other places in the Asia-Pacific region. More information on the 2007 ASTA IDE Jeju, hotel and airfare discounts, and pre- and post-tours can be found at ASTA's website, www.astanet.com. Information on the KTO and attractions in Korea can be found at www.tour2korea.com. nw

(from Left) KTO President Kim Jong-min. A scene from an ASTA Trade Show held in Orlando, Florida in September where a KTO delegation participated. KTO President Kim receives a trophy from an ASTA official at the ASTA IDE in Prague in March.