News: Land of chaebol is ready, Indians are game

(DNA 09/06/2006) Kolkata - Indians are getting increasingly carried away by wanderlust. Perhaps, the need to explore newer destinations is at an all-time high in the country. Consequently, this year, South Korea is emerging as a nascent tourist destination.

Moving fast, the official Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) has singled out Bollywood as a potential segment, which could, in turn, lure leisure travellers into this highly developed South East Asian nation that rarely saw Indians among its tourist crowds.

Working towards this end, the KTO is actively wooing Bollywood producers. It is offering discounted airfares, organising hotel stays and even helping movie directors choose the right locales for their shoots.

To boost visibility and, simultaneously, target incentive groups, the KTO has initiated the "Korea Something More" campaign.

"Gangster - A Love Story", directed by Anurag Basu, has been extensively shot in South Korea. Prior to this, a song sequence had been shot for director Mahesh Bhatt's "Kalyug".

"KTO is in talks with several big banners in Bollywood, through which it aims to break into the Indian market," said Rajeev Nangia, associate director, Trac Representations, which is marketing South Korea in India.

Earlier, travel companies and tour operators offered no packages to Korea since the traffic was 80% business in nature. More than 58,000 Indians visited South Korea in 2005. KTO expects a 10% rise in this figure in 2006.

"South Korea can emerge as a key holiday destination for New-Age India because consumers here are already familiar with the branding, thanks to the presence of consumer electronic giants like Samsung and LG," said Nangia.