KTO & Air Canada toast partners, a promising 2016

“We’ve had some ups and downs this year,” Randy Snape, marketing manager for Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) told guests of the Korea Tourism and Air Canada year-end event yesterday.

The luncheon, which was co-hosted by Air Canada in celebration of its recent partnership with KTO and took place at Sariwon Korean BBQ in Vaughan, saw an excellent turnout of agency partners and community leaders on what Snape remarked is typically the busiest day of the week for agents and tour operators.

“I don’t usually call you guys Mondays, because I know you won’t have time for me,” he joked, taking a moment to thank everyone for coming out.

The purpose of the event was to recognize agents for their unfailing support, which Snape, joined on stage by Doojoo Kim, director of KTO, said was essential in the midst of the MERS virus outbreak, which hurt the country’s inbound numbers in 2015.

According to Snape, South Korea’s worldwide arrivals were down five per cent in 2015, with arrivals from Canada being down only 1.5 per cent.

“That 1.5 per cent is because of the work you all do,” Snape told those in attendance. “And for that, we thank you.”

With the MERS virus outbreak now over, KTO is ready for the upcoming year, with various selling incentives and co-promotional marketing partnerships in the works. Snape listed subway cards, guides, DMZ packages and the Korea Grand Sales as some of the strategies intended to boost numbers in 2016, and cited the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang as an expected draw for tourist bookings as the years progress.

A dip in Korea’s arrival numbers didn’t seem to deter Air Canada from establishing a new direct, year-round route between Toronto and Seoul, due to launch in June 2016. Indeed, Rocky Lo, director of business development, Asia for Air Canada, expressed the airline’s excitement regarding the new partnership in an interview with PAX.

“Canada and Korea has a close relationship,” Lo said. “We see that with our Vancouver – Korea routes now, and we think that by expanding our reach to the eastern side of Canada, we will be able to provide more connectivity for the businesses, tourists, and residents of Korean descent.”

Lo went on to explain that while the new route, which will be serviced by Air Canada’s 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, takes business fliers into consideration by offering the 787’s three-cabin configuration, it’s the leisure traveller looking for a multi-destination trip to Asia that influenced the new offering.

“An advantage Air Canada has over its competitors is that by flying with us, customers can take a ‘triangle trip,’” Lo said, referring to the airline’s six destinations throughout Asia, which broadens the reach for passengers without forced connections.

“Normally you have to stop in a hub when you enter Asia,” he explained, “and then again when you try to go home. With us, travellers from Toronto can fly to Seoul for a vacation, and then they can head to Beijing or Tokyo-Narita to visit their friends and family, and then head back to Toronto without having to make another stop first.”

Convenience and connectivity have been a recurring theme in what has been an impressive year of new routes and increased services for Air Canada, but according to Kim, as far as KTO is concerned, the addition of Seoul to the airline’s list of destinations is more than a show of success; it’s a gateway to the growth of a destination.

“It’s good news for KTO, but it’s also very good news for the customer,” he told PAX, going on to say that while Korea is an in-demand destination for tourists, business travellers and those visiting family, limited airline services makes connectivity difficult for some, and Air Canada’s new direct route is expected to change that.

“Toronto and Korea are far geographically, but our relationship is very close, and with Air Canada, we can be closer than ever before.”

With the new route set to launch June 17, 2016, Air Canada has already offered introductory fares starting as low as $1,399 round-trip, and although Lo confirmed that more promotional incentives for the trade are to come after the holidays, he remained tight-lipped on the details.

“All I can say is, stay tuned!” he said.

PHOTO: Doojoo Kim, director, Korean Tourism Organization; Virgilio Russi, senior director sales, Canada, Air Canada; Rocky Lo, director of business development, Asia for Air Canada & Steve Goodfellow, director of sales, Eastern Canada, Air Canada