2007 ASTA International Destination Expo on Jeju 

Our travel Agency will be having an exhibition booth at travel trade show ASTA 2007. 
The trade show will take place at the International Convention Center – Jeju (ICC-Jeju) on March 26-27th. Please feel free to visit our booth. 

Here is some information about ASTA 2007 from Kim Rahn, Staff Reporter of Korea Times. 

Some 1,000 Korean and foreign delegations will visit the southern resort island Jeju for an international travel conference at the end of this month. 

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province will hold the 2007 American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) International Destination Expo March 25-29. 

With 20,000 members from 140 nations, ASTA, the world's largest tourism organization, holds conferences twice a year _ one in the United States and the other in another member country _ to help the members strengthen networks and introduce travel destinations to one another. 

Countries or cities hosting the conference have a good opportunity to introduce themselves to the world's travel market, so competition to host the event is strong. Korea hosted the conference in Seoul in 1983 and KTO and Cheju got the opportunity this time after four years of bidding. 

Many notable figures in the travel industry will participate in the Cheju conference, reflecting the world's growing interest in the Asian travel market. 

Keynote speeches will be delivered by Cheryl Hudak, president and CEO of ASTA, Fred Miller, vice president of Marriot International's Travel Industry Relations, and Chris Kroeger, senior vice president of Sabre Travel Network. 

Peter de Jong, president and CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), will give a presentation on Asian tourism at the closing ceremony on March 27. 

Other participants include Culture and Tourism Minister Kim Myung-gon, KTO President Kim Jong-min, Cheju Governor Kim Tae-hwan, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and a dozen lawmakers. 

On the first day of the conference, a cruise marketing expert Mark McMullen will present a strategy to effectively sell Pacific-Asia cruise products in a seminar. At the welcoming event in the evening, performances by Cheju's art troupes, and Korean cuisine will be presented. 

KTO will hold a special seminar for effective marketing of Korean tourism goods to the American market on the second day with the theme of ``Korea, Sparkling: Know How to Sell Korea.'' 

Korea will be able to promote its tourist programs to 800 American travel industry delegations at the trade show on March 26 and 27. 


Info about ASTA Conference by Kim Rahn 
Staff Reporter of Korea Times 
rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr