The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with the Korea Tourism Organization held a "K-Tourism Roadshow" in New York's Rockefeller Center and Times Square from July 19 to 22. Shown are contestants in the K-pop cover dance contest 'Dance to Korea' performing in Times Square.

By Xu Aiying
Photos = Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on July 24 that it jointly held a "K-Tourism Roadshow" with the Korea Tourism Organization at the Rockefeller Center and Times Square in New York City, U.S., from July 19 through 22.

The K-Tourism Roadshow is an annual event organized in 15 cities worldwide to promote Korean culture and raise interest in visiting the country, in line with the "Visit Korea Year 2023-24" campaign. The event was strategically organized in New York to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance, marking the 11th time that the East Coast city has hosted the event.

With the goal of attracting one million American tourists, various programs were organized as part of the event to capitalize on Korean culture's rising popularity to boost tourism to the country.

Visitors at the event try on Hanbok (traditional clothes) at a promotional booth in NY's Rockefeller Center. 

At the Rockefeller Center, the tourism agency set up travel information booths and held various events where the visitors could try on Hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) that have been used in K-pop music videos, consult K-makeup experts, and taste Korean-styled fried chicken and healthy beverages.

Held in Times Square was a K-pop cover dance contest, "Dance to Korea" with the grand prize of a flight to Korea. Seven teams were selected from a total of 584 entries from across the U.S. to take to the stage.

The tourism agency also hosted a conference at Lotte New York Palace to discuss tourism in general, including a brief business information session on Korean Tourism under the theme "Discover your Korea." Around 200 officials from major U.S. tourism and media industries participated in the meeting.

Michelin chef Kim Dae-ik, based in New York, introduced some of Korea's flagship tourist destinations under the theme of Korean food and liquor, dubbed as the "Ten Cheong Wa Dae-selected Tourist Attractions." In addition, he thanked Korean War veterans and their descendants, who were specially invited to the event, with the symbolic message "Korea Never Forgets."

"With the ever-rising interest in Korean culture in the U.S., more than 100,000 people visited the New York K-Tourism Roadshow," said Park Jong-taek, director-general of the ministry's Tourism Policy Bureau. "As the United States is a strategic market with high individual consumption, we will hold another K-Tourism Roadshow in Los Angeles next month as part of our aggressive marketing strategy in the country," Park added.

xuaiy@korea.kr