November 24, 2024

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Lee Hag-jae (left), president and CEO of Incheon International Airport, and Edison Chen, vice president of global destination marketing and public relations at Trip.com Group, pose during a business agreement signing ceremony at the Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon, Tuesday. (Incheon Airport)

Incheon International Airport Corporation said Wednesday it has signed a mutual partnership with Trip.com Group, a global one-stop travel service provider, to lure more Chinese travelers to Korea.

The signing event was attended by Lee Hag-jae, president and CEO of Incheon International Airport, and Edison Chen, vice president of global destination marketing and public relations at Trip.com Group, at the Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon on Tuesday.

Under the agreement, the two companies agreed to carry out joint marketing and promotional activities to attract Chinese travelers who made up almost 20 percent of the airport’s passenger traffic before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Chinese passengers have surged since the resumption of group tours last August, recovery remains at around 70 percent through the first half of this year.

Trip.com Group, known as a leading global travel service company in Asia, controls over 50 percent of the Chinese travel market through its two major online travel platforms.

Incheon Airport said it plans to leverage Trip.com's global network and marketing expertise to more effectively attract Chinese travelers.

As part of this initiative, Incheon Airport will host its Super Brand Day from next Monday through Oct. 1, coinciding with China's National Day season, also known as Golden Week. The airport, in partnership with major airlines, will offer various promotions and discounts at its facilities, duty-free shops and nearby hotels.

“The agreement is expected to significantly aid in restoring Incheon International Airport’s Chinese network and driving passenger demand,” said Lee. “With our capacity set to expand to 100 million upon the completion of the fourth phase of our construction project by the end of this year, we will actively implement diverse marketing strategies to stimulate passenger traffic.”

By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)