Clúster

• The marketing days for the Spanish tourism sector were held from March 11 to 14 in Seoul and Tokyo.
• The Cluster held a total of 30 meetings with tour operators in these markets.

The Galician Tourism Cluster has just participated, accompanied by the company Galiwonders, in the direct days of support for the marketing of Spanish tourism in the markets of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, organized in Seoul and Tokyo from March 11 to 14 2024. There, the CTG held a total of 30 meetings with tour operators from these markets, presenting the catalogs of wholesale travel agencies for inbound travel and luxury tourism.

Among the operators were professionals specialized in premium tourism, groups, youth, incentives and ad hoc programs. Some already included the Galicia destination in their offer, especially the Camino de Santiago, so they showed interest in finding other options that our community offers. Others were selling Spain and were interested in including different destinations in their offer.

Asian markets

At the beginning of the days, in each of the markets, the Minister of Tourism of Spain in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, Jaime Alejandre, made a presentation of each of the purchased ones. In this sense, we highlight:

• Republic of Korea (2023 data)

The Korean market contributed 433,876 tourists (140% more than in 2022, but 30% less than in 2019). Spain, once again, is once again the European country most visited by Koreans, with almost twice as many tourists as the second, Germany.

Spending was 140% more than in 2022. In addition, the average stay was slightly higher than pre-pandemic (from 6.4 to 8 days). The average expenditure per person increased from €2,300 in 2019 to €2,900 in 2023, with average daily expenditure increasing from €350 to €370.

• Japan and Taiwan markets (current data, full year 2023)

This market contributed 310,000 tourists (150% more than in 2022, but 50% less than in 2019).

Spending was 100% more than in 2022 (double). The average stay varied, reaching 6-7 days, data similar to the pre-pandemic. During the pandemic (2021 and 2022), the stay was extended (up to 13 days) due to the requirement of a series of measures to re-enter Japan (vaccination, quarantine, etc.). This meant that it was only worth traveling to long-haul destinations if they intended to spend long periods of time there. The average expenditure per person also grew, going from €2,000 in 2019 to €2,700 in 2023. The average daily expenditure went from €427 to €490.