Seoul welcomes largest ever incentive group from China

The South Korean capital Seoul  has hosted its largest single incentive group, as part of a week-long trip for 8,000 Chinese visitors. From 4 May through May 13, Seoul hosted staff from Joy Main Science & Technology, the healthcare unit of the China-based Zhongmai Group. The Joy Main incentive tour in Seoul was won through a collective effort between the Korea Tourism Organisation and Seoul mayor Park Won Soon, who last August attended the 2015 Beijing Seoul Road Show. The Seoul hosting team had organised site visits for Joy Main and arranged meetings with key local leaders for the trip. The size of the group, meant splitting the incentive into two groups of 4,000 individuals. The first group arrived on 4 May, departing 9 May, while the second group arrived on 9 May and departed on 13 May. Both groups went sightseeing at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namsangol Hanok Village, and the traditional Insadong street, as well as shopping at the popular commercial area of Myeongdong and the many duty free shops around the city. The Seoul metropolitan government, the Seoul Tourism Organisation, the Korea Tourism Organisation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and other organisations arranged two special dinners and concerts for the groups, by the Han River. Prior to the dinner, food trucks, a currency exchange truck, and several booths with cultural activities and crafts and performances were set up at the Banpo Hangang River for the groups to enjoy. In total, some 8,000 bowls of samgyetang and kimchi, 16,000 cans of beer, and 36,000 bottles of the traditional Korean liquor Baekseju were estimated to be served over both evenings.