In tune with the flourishing Korean wave in India, Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has collaborated with multiple brands for a series of virtual Korean experiences, along with the social media contest and special offers on Korean products for the Indian travelers and hallyu fans. With the current prevailing travel restrictions due to the pandemic, KTO decided to step forward and get Korea to its Indian audience. Starting from 17th September 2021, the event aims to create an experience that can be enjoyed by the travel seekers and Korea lovers until 15th November.
The event is designed as a perfect Korean escapade comprising of K-Food, K-Pop, K-Beauty, K-Drama and Korean product discount offers.
- The K-Pop experience is a collaboration between KTO and AleXa, the rising K-Pop star from Korea and Shraey Khanna, a renowned dancer, choreographer, and singer from India. The Korean artist will be seen showcasing signature Korean dance moves where in return Shraey will be seen mirroring the Korean vibes with a dash of Bollywood nuance to it.
- The K-Food experience will feature a well-known Bollywood female actor taking up the challenge of cooking delicious Korean meal in the popular OTT web series Star vs Food on Discovery+.
- The K-Beauty experience in collaboration with Innisfree, an eco-friendly makeup brand from the beautiful Jeju Island in South Korea will showcase some Korean skincare tips in the masterclass.
- The K-Drama, as it says it all, will show the unescapable Korean drama obsession taking over India especially in the lives of popular influencers who come from different walks of life like fashion, beauty, food, and entertainment.
The four KXperience elements: K-Pop, K-Food, K-Beauty and K-Drama will boil down to a pan-India social media contest– The K Challenge, which will be hosted on www.kxperience.bookmyshow.com powered by BookMyShow, India’s leading entertainment destination. BookMyShow has conceptualized, designed and executed the entire microsite for the challenge. The consumers would need to recreate their own versions inspired by the KXperience elements and upload the content on their social media channels with the event hashtags. Exciting gifts like Samsung phones, tablets and KTO special KXperience box awaits the winners.
In addition to these series of virtual experiences, to meet the Indian masses’ demands for a Korean lifestyle taste, KTO has also collaborated with Korikart.com and CulturaGo offering special discounts on Korean products and online culture courses. Furthermore, a much-anticipated virtual tour is in the pipeline for KTO.
Commenting on the announcement Mr. Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office, said,
“We have noticed the increasing trend for Hallyu wave in India, especially during the pandemic, when K-Drama, K-Food and K-pop engaged many Indians. So, we thought of coming up with a series of events which could keep Indian travelers and Hallyu lovers connected with Korea, till the time travel restrictions are lifted and they are able to travel to the destination. With the KXperience project and our collaboration with multiple brands, we wish to bring Korea to comfort of Indian homes.”
Talking about the association with KTO, AleXa, a K-pop artist from Korea said,
“As a Korean artist I am pleased to collaborate with KTO to bring me closer to my fans in India. I love dancing and partnering with Shraey Khanna for a dance-off was an absolute pleasure. I have been observing the fondness for Korean culture in India and cannot wait to virtually connect with them.”
Keiko Bang, the Founder and CEO at Millenasia commented on this association,
“We’re so thrilled to partner with KTO for this unique and innovative KXperience on BookMyShow. We think that the combination of Shraey Khanna and AleXa in particular is powerful and dynamic because they’re both such excellent dancers. Over the past few years, India has become the 6th largest country based on the amount of time spent per month on K-pop. In fact, Korean audiences have always admired the dancers in Bollywood movies, and are starting to understand that both Korea and India share a tradition and love for song and dance. We look forward to more K-pop and Bollywood concerts and events in India once the worst of COVID-19 has passed.”
“I am thrilled with my collaboration with KTO in bringing the Korean culture to the Indian audience. As an artist, I have always tried to do everything possible to bring the Indian audience close to different dance cultures. My dance-off video with one of the most loved artists from Korea, AleXa is going to showcase both cultures with a bit of twist. Can’t wait for the Indian audience to see the amalgamation of these two beautiful cultures,” added Shraey Khanna, Dancer, Singer and Choreographer, India.
Korea Tourism Organization has left no stone unturned when it comes to offering the best to its audience. With this project, they are aiming to come closer to its Indian patrons and bring together the best of both lifestyles.
Partner Comments on Collaborations:
Mr. Doyoul Lee, Director- Innisfree India and General Manager – AmorePacific India said, “We at Innisfree are extremely excited to be a part of KXperience and collaboration with Korea Tourism Organization and Bookmyshow.com. I think it will a completely different and unique experience for Indian audience and who are into Korean culture, pop, beauty, drama, food etc. Viewers can learn lot of beauty techniques in the K-beauty session by Innisfree. Since its the onset of festive season in India, I hope the tips and tricks of K-beauty session comes handy for you all. I hope you all can enjoy this vibrant KKulture experience from the comfort of your home.”
“We are excited to partner with Korea Tourism Organization for season 2 of one of our most appreciated shows- Star vs Food. The association is a result of the synergy between both the brands where we want to build a deep connection with Korean culture to give Indian audiences an immersive experience. The two Asian countries are similar to each other in certain aspects; like quality food is extremely important in both cultures. This common philosophy fits in seamlessly as Discovery Network has a long-standing history in travel and food-related content integrating different cultures.” said Shaun Nanjappa Chendira, Head of Advertising, Sales, South Asia, Discovery Inc.
Commenting on the collaboration Anil Makhija, COO – Live Entertainment & Venues, BookMyShow said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Korea Tourism Organization to bring the taste of Korean culture to millions of Indians. As the K-wave craze continues to swell in India, we are thrilled to extend this unique experience to our customers and give them an opportunity to witness renowned artists across Korea through compelling categories hosted on the microsite. BookMyShow’s unmatched capabilities of data analytics, consumer insights and a loyal base of millions of entertainment-loving users along with KTO’s great understanding of the cultural ethos, make this partnership a perfect fit.”
Mr. Seo Young-Doo, Founder Koriakart said, “We are so excited to associate with KTO for KXperience – Virtual Show. Observing the rise of K-wave passion everywhere in India, we brought Korean food, Cosmetics and Home Living products to be match with K-wave to make more strong appeal among Indian community, who love to explore more about Korea. Indian community admire Korean Food & Cosmetics, we will be connecting with them virtually with this platform, this is our privilege to be part of this once in a lifetime experience. We are eagerly waiting for the day to mix K-wave with Indian society.”
Mr. Stewart Brown, CEO, CulturaGo said, “CulturaGo is delighted to be a part of KTO India’s KXperience project to offer Indians the opportunity to learn about Korean culture. Through increasing the Indian market’s awareness and appreciation for Korean culture, we plan to increase the number of Indians who travel to South Korea in the future (be it to study, work, or for leisure) and equip these travellers with the insight needed to unlock a more enjoyable and meaningful experience exploring this fascinating part of the world.”
About Korea Tourism Organization (KTO):
Established in May 2008, Korea Tourism Organization’s New Delhi Office is the branch office of KTO that handles all travel-related information. It encourages Indian Outbound travelers to visit Korea, organizes familiarization trips for the travel industry and media personnel, and participate in key trade and tourism fairs. It also organizes consumer-related activities, roadshows, seminars, and workshops. The core focus areas are Media and Promotions, Product Training, Product Development & Co-Marketing with outbound tour operators and collaboration with Indian brands, whilst the main objective of KTO is to market South Korea’s multi-faceted appeal as a premier tourist destination to India and its neighboring countries.
Website link: www.visitkorea.or.kr
