November 22, 2024

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(From left) Alberta Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow, Destination Canada CEO David Goldstein and Shinhan Card CEO Moon Dong-kwon pose for a picture after signing a strategic partnership agreement for tourist marketing and services development at Shinhan Card's headquarters in Jung-gu, central Seoul, on Monday. (Shinhan Card)

South Korean card issuer Shinhan Card is collaborating with regional Canadian governments and state-run tourism promotion agencies for local tourist marketing, starting with Alberta.

Shinhan Card, the card arm of Korean finance giant Shinhan Financial Group, announced on Tuesday that it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Government of Alberta, Canada, to jointly develop services and launch marketing initiatives targeting tourists visiting Alberta.

The signing ceremony took place on Monday at the Shinhan Card headquarters in Jung-gu, central Seoul, with Shinhan Card CEO Moon Dong-kwon, Alberta Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow, Destination Canada CEO David Goldstein and Destination Canada's Korea Office Director Anna Lee in attendance.

The province of Alberta in western Canada is known for its Rocky Mountains, and is home to natural wonders such as Banff National Park, Jasper National Park and Lake Louise. With WestJet Airlines starting a new direct route between Incheon and Calgary in May, more Korean tourists are anticipated to travel to the province.

Leveraging the customer bases and expertise of both organizations, Shinhan Card and the Alberta government will collaborate with local businesses to develop comprehensive services in tourism, shopping, dining and other travel-related sectors.

Starting with its partnership with Alberta, Shinhan Card plans to expand its cooperation with Destination Canada, the country's state-run tourism promotion organization, to other provinces, including Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

Shinhan Card CEO Moon stated, "As Korea's leading card company, we will continue to discover favored local services through data exchanges on Canadian travel, while also extending our global partnership efforts to provide exclusive benefits at home and abroad."

By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)