Spain has announced that in the second half of 2023, it will celebrate a week of cultural activities in the Republic of Korea.
Korea is a developing tourism market that has gone from sending around 100,000 travellers to Spain in just six years to more than 630,000 in 2019, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
During an official visit to Korea, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, said that Tourism and culture are among the areas of bilateral cooperation between Spain and the Republic of Korea that have evolved more in recent years.
“The celebration of the Week of Spain in Korea will therefore provide us with an excellent opportunity to bring our culture and gastronomy closer to Korean society, thereby also encouraging trips to Spain from Korea,” he pointed out in this regard.
In addition, through the meeting of the Working Committee, which was chaired by Fernando Valdés and the Korean Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Culture, Cho Yongman, it was said that both sides identified gastronomy, historical heritage and smart tourism as future areas of tourism cooperation.
At the same time, Cho Yongman also confirmed that the Republic of Korea would participate in the next edition of FITUR.
Meanwhile, Valdes did not leave without mentioning Spain’s interest in increasing the air connection with Korea with direct flights. According to him, there are currently five weekly flights between Seoul and Barcelona.
However, he added that the direct flight between Seoul and Madrid that existed before the pandemic has not yet resumed.
The Spanish ambassador to Korea, Guillermo Kirkpatrick, was also part of the Working Committee meeting, as well as the General Director of Turespaña, Miguel Sanz, and the Spanish Tourism Advisor for Japan and Korea, Jaime Alejandre. During his stay, the Secretary of State announced that he would meet with the vice presidents of Korean Air and Asiana airlines and the presidents of the main Korean travel agencies.
Moreover, on September 3, Korean Air resumed operations in Spain after two and a half years, resuming the route between Seoul and Barcelona with three weekly flights and becoming the eighth European destination resumed by the company.
Data provided by Aviacionline through Aena Estadísticas revealed that Korean Air mobilized 187,486 passengers and 27,141.6 tons of cargo in 1,054 air operations in Spain. Such data also show that the South Korean airline has planned its return to Madrid for March 26, 2023, and is expected to recover its offer and capacity in Spain for the next summer season.
