KTO, Orange Square to promote tourism for Japanese

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and South Korea's Orange Square signed a business agreement on Thursday to encourage more spending by Japanese tourists visiting South Korea based on the analysis of their consumption patterns.

Orange Square has launched WowPass, a prepaid card targeting foreign tourists, combining payment, currency exchange, and transportation card features. 

The cumulative issuance number of WowPass exceeded 600,000 at the end of last month, with approximately 60% of total users being Japanese.

According to KTO, the average spending of Japanese tourists in South Korea tends to be low due to the short duration of their trips and the characteristics of nearby markets with many repeat visitors. 

KTO teamed up with Orange Square to get data of Japanese visitors' main destinations and spending patterns in South Korea. 

Based on this analysis, they aim to establish more systematic and custom-tailored content discovery and marketing strategies for the target audience, particularly women in their 20s and 30s, as well as potential male customers.

In next month, they will conduct a joint incentive campaign for Japanese repeat visitors, along with various promotional events such as selecting the Visit King who has visited Korea the most and the Shopping King who has spent the most.

They will also continue to hold campaigns through online promotions utilizing local famous influencers and at K-Tourism Roadshows held in major cities in Japan, such as Tokyo and Osaka.

Write to Sun A Lee at suna@hankyung.com