By Lee Kap-soo

The 8th Korea International Tourism Show (KITS), which examines the current status of the tourism industry, seeks ways to develop and predicts the future, will be held at Hall 3 of KINTEX's first exhibition hall in Ilsan in Gyeonggi Province from August 11 to 14.

Last year, 396 booths from 181 companies, including 114 local governments, institutions, and 67 companies, participated in the 7th Korea International Tourism Fair, which was popular with 60 B2B consultations and 15,143 people in attendance.

The organizing committee of the KITS expressed its ambition to develop the fair, which marks its eighth anniversary, into an in, out, and intra-bound tourism fair representing Korea. In particular, the event was planned with the aim of sharing the diversity and changing tourism trends of the latest domestic and foreign tourism industry and promoting the development of the domestic tourism industry by increasing the number of tourists to Korea.

To this end, the organizing committee plans to maximize the participation of local governments and tourism contents to contribute to promoting various domestic tourism contents, revitalizing the tourism industry economy by region, and expanding the inbound market.

In addition, in line with the development of ICT technology in the era of the 4th industrial revolution and the mobility paradigm that emerged in the smart era, it plans to provide a practical consultation between smart tourism companies and participating cities.

The 8th KITS consisted of main events, special events, side events, and simultaneous events. This event offers various domestic and foreign tourism promotion booths, including △ Domestic Hall (Local Public Relations Hall, Smart Tourism Promotion Hall, Travel Product Sales Hall, Theme Travel Hall) △ International Hall (Overseas Tourism Promotion Hall) △ Travel Information Hall (Multilingual Information Service Hall, Domestic and Domestic Safety Travel Information Hall).

Special events include B2B buyer counseling sessions (inbound and outbound), the KITS Awards, and special lectures by experts for tourism practitioners.

The Special Lecture for Tourism Workers will be held at 1 p.m. on August 11 in the conference room on the second floor of KINTEX's 1st exhibition hall. Other programs include △ Understanding and Role of Smart Tourism Platform (Jung Nam-ho, Dean of Kyung Hee University's Hotel Tourism College) △ Planning and Promotion of Local Tourism Trends and Future (Jeong Ran-soo Project) △ the Role of Smart Tourism and ChatGPT.

Additional events such as traditional cultural experiences and DIY making are also eye-catching. In particular, a special performance will be held from 3 p.m. from August 11 to 13. Girl group VIVIZ (VIVIZ) will be showed on Aug. 11, Genie Jeanie & Kang Yi-gang's character musical Gala Show on Aug. 12, and Pinkfong dance party on Aug. 13, which are expected to dominate the popularity of visitors.

As a simultaneous event, the "Korea Return to Farming and Rural Happiness Fair" will be held, and information on return to farming and rural areas can be obtained from the site. If you come back after consulting on the spot, there will also be an event where you can receive coriander/cherry tomato seedlings, so many visitors are expected to visit.

The 8th Korea International Tourism Show is hosted by the Korea International Tourism Show Organizing Committee, Gangwon-do Ilbo, Gyeonggi Ilbo, Gyeongsangnam-do Ilbo, Gyeongbuk Ilbo, Jeonnam Ilbo, Jeonbuk Provincial Daily, Jungdo Ilbo, Chungbuk Ilbo, and Halla Ilbo.

Admission to the fair is free if you register in advance, and you can meet it at Hall 3 of KINTEX's first exhibition hall in Ilsan from August 11 to 14.