| James Kon |
IN HOPE of further boosting the number of Korean visitors to Brunei Darussalam, Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, attended a networking reception with 17 top travel agents from Korea who were in the country for a four-day, three-night familiarisation trip to experience the Golf and City Tour packages.
The programme was organised by Sinar Tour Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and The Empire Hotel & Country Club with support from the Tourism Development Department.
Also present at the reception were Awang Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism; Haji Mohammad Zamree bin Haji Junaidi, Director of the Tourism Development Department; Nigel Badminton, General Manager of The Empire Hotel & Country Club, as well as Sinar Tour Sdn Bhd’s Executive Management and officers from the Tourism Development Department.
In his welcoming remarks, the minister expressed that he was pleased to see almost half of the top travel agencies from the Republic of Korea coming to Brunei, taking time to see the country and assisting the Tourism Development Department’s efforts to promote Brunei to the Korean market.
Since Sinar Tour Sdn Bhd started operating the charted flight from Incheon to Bandar Seri Begawan two months ago, they have conducted aggressive marketing and promotions through their representatives at TAMs Inc and have received over 1,500 Korean tourists. During a promotion on the home shopping channel in Korea, another 2,000 confirmed bookings between now until August 2017 have been recorded.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, with the travel agents from Korea and other officials during their networking reception. – MPRT
The minister also exchanged ideas and first-hand information regarding the needs and expectations of the Korean travellers.
He also shared with the group the main tourism products promoted by the ministry, including luxury travel, nature and cultural experiences set in a clean, healthy and safe environment.
In his discussions with the agents, the minister informed them that there are a lot more product offerings that could be added to the itinerary, as demand grows.
Brunei also welcomes more MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events) groups to the country, especially in areas such as Islamic Banking, Eco-tourism as well as the Oil and Gas sectors.
The Koreans were further assured that they will get the ministry’s support to achieve their target as well as to open opportunities to invest in Brunei to build tourism infrastructures and services.
The group of Korean tourists was led by Kweon Hee Seok, the Senior Vice Chairman of Hana Tour, one of the largest travel companies in the Republic of Korea.
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