The Czech Republic has traditionally been an attractive destination for South Korean tourists and this trend is strengthening. Local tourists choose the Czech Republic mainly because of its favourable price/quality ratio, historical monuments and easily accessible European culture. Prague then attracts visitors as a romantic "instagram" destination. Among Koreans, individual travel dominates, accounting for 64.4% of all arrivals, while the share of traditional group tours, which used to dominate, is declining significantly. Accessibility is further facilitated by the direct air link between Seoul and Prague. The typical Korean visitor belongs to the 30-44 age group, which accounts for 59.6% of all arrivals, followed by the 45-59 age group with a share of 26.9%, while 10.6% of tourists are aged 15-29. The main motivating factors are cultural experiences, escape from stress and the need to experience new environments. Up to 94% of Koreans come to the Czech Republic for recreation, 18% visit sights and 15% enjoy gastronomy. In contrast to the traditional notion of 'recreation', Korean tourists focus on cultural enrichment and personal growth, which creates specific demands on the tourist experience on offer. Koreans prefer to travel during the summer season and on holidays such as Chuseok or Lunar New Year, leading to a seasonal increase in demand for accommodation. A significant trend is for mothers and daughters to travel to Prague for shopping, lifestyle and cultural experiences, while fathers and sons are more likely to choose sports-oriented destinations outside the Czech Republic. Korean tourists spent an average of CZK 4,965 per person per day in 2023. However, promoting the Czech Republic in Korea is challenging due to language and cultural barriers. Local tourists tend to trust local sources of information and use the Naver portal instead of Google. Influencers play a key role on social media, so targeted cooperation with them and campaigns with major travel agencies are essential to increase awareness of the Czech Republic. All these aspects are key for Czech service providers in this sector and working with them in the right way can bring significant opportunities.

Thirteen Czech partners providing a wide range of services and products arrived in Seoul at the end of October to present the best they have to offer. The event took place as part of an economic diplomacy project funded by the Ministry of Local Development of the Czech Republic and Prague City Tourism and organised in cooperation with the local office of the CzechTourism agency. The project attracted over 100 representatives from Korean tour operators and influencers and enjoyed considerable media interest. Its overarching theme was to promote travel to Prague as well as regions near the capital, with the aim of promoting not only the stay itself but also a wide range of experiential activities from gastronomy to visits to cultural events. Jan Fluxa, Deputy Minister for Regional Development, also came to support Czech companies. "South Korean tourists know the Czech Republic well and are very welcome here. I am therefore very pleased with the extraordinary interest of local providers in this area in today's event. I am sure that it will have a positive impact not only on the further growth in the number of visitors to our country, but also on their interest in experiential tourism, where our regions definitely have a lot to offer," he added.

Further important information on this issue can be obtained from the links below:
1. Country report of CzechTourism: https://tourdata.cz/country-reporty/jizni-korea-2023/
2. Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism of the KR: https://mcst.go.kr/english/index.jsp

Meeting of Czech representatives

 

Booths of Czech representatives

Interested Czech companies can contact the Commercial Department of the Czech Embassy in Seoul at seoul.commerce@mzv.gov.cz or the CzechTourism agency at seoul@czechtourism.com.

Jakub Kopecký, head of the commercial department, Czech Embassy in Seoul