By Lee Dasom

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization on Aug. 23 said they jointly held the K-Tourism Roadshow from Aug. 18-22 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles.

The event will be held in 15 cities worldwide this year to mark Visit Korea Year 2023-24 and raise interest in Korean culture and tourism. The Los Angeles edition, the second in the U.S. after the first in New York last month, attracted about 20,000 visitors.

The roadshow presented Korean cultural content intended to turn interest in Hallyu into higher demand for visiting Korea.

A booth with information on tourism in Korea attracted keen interest from visitors by offering travel packages for experiencing Korean culture like those with classes on K-pop dance, learning Korean, training in taekwondo and accommodations at Hanok (traditional houses).

Also promoted were 100 cultural tourism events for Visit Korea Year, 10 tours of the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul and Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

In addition, about 150 leading figures from American tourism were invited to an Aug. 22 conference on tourism in Korea and a business consultation between the Korean and U.S. travel sectors. Some 200 discussions were held among staff from leading travel agencies and airlines from the two countries.

"Our goal this year is to attract a million American tourists," a KTO source said. "To achieve this goal, we will continue marketing customized for Korean culture fans, ethnic Koreans and students."

dlektha0319@korea.kr