Kaohsiung Rural Tourism Enters the Korean Market! Promoting Deep Travel Opportunities in Seoul and Busan

To enhance the international visibility of Kaohsiung's rural tourism in the Northeast Asian market, the Kaohsiung City Government’s Agriculture Bureau dispatched a promotion team led by Senior Technical Specialist Chen Ying-Lian from July 27 to August 1. In collaboration with the Tourism Bureau, Youth Affairs Bureau, Kaohsiung Travel Agencies Association, and Kaohsiung Hoteliers Association, the team conducted a six-day tourism exchange and promotional tour in Seoul and Busan, South Korea.

On July 29, the team hosted a Kaohsiung tourism promotion event in Seoul. The Agriculture Bureau centered its campaign on “Kaohsiung Agri-Tourism,” introducing to Korean travel professionals the city’s rural tourism offerings that integrate agriculture, ecology, humanities, food-and-farming education, and local experiences. Through industry networking, media engagement, and city-level meetings, the delegation actively promoted visits by Korean tourists to Kaohsiung’s rural communities.

The Agriculture Bureau noted that Korean travelers show strong interest in Taiwan’s cuisine, local culture, and immersive travel experiences. Kaohsiung’s rural areas span mountainous regions, plains, and coastal zones, offering diverse agricultural landscapes and unique community characteristics suitable for developing family-oriented, senior-focused, group, and thematic travel products.

At the Seoul event, the team showcased distinctive rural itineraries, community stories, and premium agricultural specialties from Kaohsiung. They presented detailed information to attendees about experiential programs such as fruit-picking, farm-to-table dining, tea-tasting sessions, fishing village ecotours, hands-on DIY workshops, and food-and-farming education. This highlighted the charm of Kaohsiung Agri-Tourism—“from farm to table, from culture to experience.” Through face-to-face exchanges, Korean travel professionals gained deeper insights into Kaohsiung’s appeal beyond its harbor city image, recognizing its potential for stay-over, participatory, and sensory-rich rural tourism. Several Korean companies expressed interest in organizing familiarization trips (FAM trips), listing Kaohsiung rural tours on their platforms, and launching cooperative tour groups.

During the trip, the delegation also visited Busan City Government to discuss rural and fisheries tourism, community engagement, and local specialty industries. As both Kaohsiung and Busan are port cities, they share common ground in rural tourism, local industries, cultural experiences, and international visitor exchanges. The Agriculture Bureau exchanged views on sustainable agriculture, circular economy, and low-carbon tourism strategies and outcomes, exploring future opportunities for joint initiatives in rural and fisheries experiences and sustainable tourism. The visit also helped deepen understanding of Korean market demands for Taiwanese travel products, laying the foundation for future cross-city and cross-industry collaboration models.

The promotion team met with the Taipei Representative Office in Korea, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), Korea Travel Association (KATA), Seoul Tourism Association, KATA’s Yeongnam Chapter, Busan Tourism Association, major Korean travel agencies, and Airport Railroad Express (AREX). Discussions covered trends in Korean travelers visiting Kaohsiung, packaging rural itineraries, transportation connectivity, media promotion, FAM trips, and guest referral collaborations. Korean travel professionals expressed high interest in Kaohsiung’s integration of local produce, cultural narratives, and interactive experiences, suggesting further development of in-depth itineraries tailored to families, seniors, and small groups based on Korean market needs.

Agriculture Bureau Director Yao Ji-Wang stated, “In recent years, Kaohsiung has continuously integrated rural communities, leisure agriculture, specialty agricultural products, and experiential tours, transforming agriculture from mere production into a vital gateway for experiencing local culture and sustainable living through branding, productization, and internationalization. Going forward, we will continue collaborating with the Tourism Bureau, airlines, travel agencies, and overseas tourism organizations to invite Korean industry partners for FAM trips to Kaohsiung, optimize rural tourism products according to different traveler segments, and attract more Korean tourists to explore Kaohsiung’s mountain and coastal villages, personally experiencing the city’s charm woven from local produce, community warmth, and multicultural richness.”