Visitors get information from a booth at the K-Travel Mart, which ran from Nov. 10-11 at the hotel Presidente InterContinental in Mexico City.

By Yoon Sojung

Photos = Korea Tourism Organization

Korean culture and tourism have seen explosive popularity in Mexico.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on Nov. 13 said its K-Travel Mart from Nov. 10-11 at the hotel Presidente InterContinental in Mexico City resulted in over 600 business consultations and 20 concluded contracts. Under the slogan "Discover Your Korea," the event was attended by about 100 businesses including 26 Korean tourist agencies as well as their counterparts in Mexico and medical tourism companies.

The KTO highlighted Korean culture, education and training programs as well as medical tourism, while linking the Hallyu (Korean Wave) boom in Mexico to demand for visiting Korea.

The number of visitors to Korea from Latin America from January to September was an estimated 143,000, a 47% jump from the same period last year, the tourism authority said. Those from Mexico alone accounted for 63,000, up over 85%.

On the event's first day, five Mexican colleges including National Autonomous University of Mexico participated, causing a surge of inquiries on tourism for education and short-term study in Korea.

At an event for Medical Tourism Day on the second day, some 100 invited guests included members of Mexico's wealthy clubs and influencers. They received tailored consultations on health screenings, beauty treatments, cosmetic surgery and hanbang (traditional medicine) from nine Korean medical institutions.

In conjunction with the event, the KTO signed memorandums of understanding on expanding cultural and tourism exchanges with the tourism departments of Mexico City and the state of Nuevo Leon. Another plan is to promote tourism in Korea through joint promotion events ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup soccer finals in North America.

The K-Travel Mart from Nov. 10-11 featured consultations between Korean and Mexican tourist agencies at the hotel Presidente InterContinental in Mexico City.