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The Stories of
Hawai‘i 02
Aloha and Happy Gujeong (Lunar New Year) from Korea!
As part of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, year 2015 is the year of the blue sheep. The sheep is a symbol of peace
and harmony, and promise challenge and progress, as well as conjuring up hopefulness. We sincerely hope that the
blue sheep will bring peace and prosperity to all of our partners!
Despite the small drop we saw in the Korean arrivals in 2014, due mainly to the leap months (a superstition in Korea
to believe that it is unlucky to get married during the leap months), we are seeing a very strong first two months
according to our airlines partners. To leverage this momentum, Hawai‘i Tourism Korea will collaborate very closely
with major airlines and travel agents partners to ensure they keep their focus on Hawai‘i, to help drive demand which
will help us turn around the numbers, to once again see a positive growth from Korea. We believe the sharp drop in
fuel surcharge will also help grow our numbers.
Once again thank you, and we look forward to a great partnership and to bringing many more opportunities to all of
you.
Happy Gujeong and best wishes for a successful 2015!
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Hawai‘i Tourism Korea
Korean
Market Updates
Outbound Travel Market
According to KTO (Korea Tourism Organization), the total number of Korean visitors to overseas in 2014 reached
16,080,684, which is an outstanding 8.3% increase from a year earlier. OTTI (Office of Travel & Tourism Industries) also
reported the number of Korean visitors to the U.S. between January and September 2014 is 1,087,790, which showed
a positive 6.1% growth from a year earlier.
Consumer Trends
Manfluencer is another key new lifestyle term according to
KOTRA’s (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) “2015
Lifestyle Trends.” Korean men now do much of the grocer y
shopping and cooking in their homes. “2015 Lifestyle Trend
Repor t” also stated that “Friendy” is getting popular among
Koreans in 20s~40s. Friendy is a combined word for Friend and
Daddy, reflecting the trend that fathers are getting much more
involved with child-bearing and bonding with the children.
Superfoods have become a permanent fixture in the shopping bags of health-conscious Koreans. Now “superfood”
is considered an effective marketing tool to lure consumers willing to spend big on healthy eating. According to
Emart, the nation’s No. 1 supermarket chain, sales of blueberries, which help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease,
surged 186.4% this month from a year ago. The Korea Herald also states in its January 30th issue that other popular
superfoods, including tomatoes, almonds, garlic and yogurt also enjoyed a sales boom. Traditional Korean restaurants
are going upscale with new menu items that feature Korean superfoods to attract high-end diners.
Smartphones has now outnumbered the use of PCs according to The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future
Planning. For every 10 households, less than 8 households have either desktop computers or notebooks, while over
8 households have smartphones. The use of Kakao-talk or Line, the two major instant messaging systems Koreans use
has increased from just 60% in 2012 to 89.2% in 2014. At the same time, the use of email has decreased from 84.8%
to 59.3%.
Travel Trends
A growing number of Koreans have headed out overseas or plan to do so as airlines cut the fuel surcharge on flight
tickets to reflect plummeting oil prices. Korea's leading carriers have lowered their fuel surcharge and are expected to
make additional cuts in February after crude oil prices have more than halved in recent months.
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, the nation's two largest air carriers, set the fuel surcharge at $15 (one way) for flights
bound for the U.S. for February, far below $165 from a year ago and down from $58 in January.
Activity
Highlights
The Chosun Ilbo Visit to Hawai‘i
As the first media activity, HTK organized an individual media trip for the
Chosun Ilbo. With a circulation of over 2.6 million, Chosun Ilbo is Korea’s largest
and the most influential daily newspaper. A veteran travel reporter, Mr. Park,
Jongin, visited Kaua‘i and O‘ahu and featured his travel stories of Kaua‘i and
O‘ahu on one full page in its January 29 issue. The reporter introduced Kaua‘i
as a garden island, a beautiful island for family visit and an ideal destination for
females, citing splendid sceneries and beautiful beaches. Mr. Park provided
useful travel information on each island including famous attractions, generating
an exposure for Hawai‘i equal to $70,000 in terms of advertising value. For the
Chosun Ilbo media visit, Hertz Rent-a-Car provided sponsorship for self-drive
in O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, and Aston Waikiki Beach Tower offered a special room rate
with an upgrade to a suite.
Mega-Supermarket HomePlus Promotion with Mode Tour
In cooperation with Mode Tour, HTK will hold Hawai‘i sales promotion in
collaboration with HomePlus, one of the largest mega-supermarkets in Korea
owned by Samsung Group. Taking advantage of the heavy shopping traffic
anticipated for the Lunar New Year holiday Gujeong, Mode Tour will be setting
up Hawai‘i display area in 112 HomePlus outlet stores throughout Korea with
posters and leaflets promoting Hawai‘i special package. Mode Tour has a retail
desk in HomePlus outlets nationwide, targeting the traffic that shops at the
outlet. Mode Tour will also display 3,360 Hawai‘i posters and 40,000 Hawai‘i
tour leaflets at 112 HomePlus outlets during the promotion period. Mode Tour
is anticipating a 30% increase in sales as a result of this Hawai‘i sales promotion
with HomePlus.
Upcoming
Korea Promotional Opportunities
• Family Market Development Agent FAM Trip (March 12~16) – O‘ahu
• Executive Level Agent FAM with Asiana Airlines (March 25~29) – O‘ahu
• National Park Theme Media FAM Trip (March 13~19) – Maui, Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu
• 1st Aloha Media Day in collaboration with HTJ (October 8) – Tentative
• 1st Aloha Travel Mission in Seoul & Busan (November 3~6) – Tentative
For more information, please contact Julia Koo of Hawai‘i Tourism Korea at julia@ipconnect.co.kr