Thailand is now South Korea’s second-largest MICE market in ASEAN, following Vietnam, and is being positioned as one of the country’s long-term strategic growth drivers in the MICE industry.
To tap into the Thai market, KTO has launched a new incentive support programme for the second half of 2025. The package covers support for gala dinners, team-building activities, chartered buses, K-pop booths, K-food trucks, and trip video production.
It also offers special incentives for groups visiting Gyeongju and North Gyeongsang province — host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2025.
KTO further reported that Thai leisure travel to South Korea has been rising steadily, with arrivals growing about 5% monthly for four consecutive months since May.
In 2019, there were approximately 570,000 Thai visitors to South Korea, while 1.89 million South Koreans travelled to Thailand.
Although the pandemic disrupted travel flows, the 2024 figures have rebounded close to pre-COVID levels — with 1.87 million South Koreans visiting Thailand and about 320,000 Thais visiting South Korea, or around 60% of the 2019 level.
KTO is also working with relevant agencies to improve the Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) and immigration processes to make travel more seamless for Thai tourists.