- Incheon Cooperates with Xi’an City to Attract Group Tourists -

- Meets Pang Hongwei, Secretary of the Xi'an Municipal Committee, to Forge Willingness for Mutual Cooperation -

Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is actively engaging in efforts to attract group tourists from China.

<Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, accompanied by Baek Hyeon, President of the Incheon Tourism Corporation (sixth from the left), and Zhang Shengli, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural and Leisure Affairs of Xi’an (fifth from the right), participated in the signing ceremony of the ‘Korea-China Cultural and Tourism Exchange Cooperation Agreement’ held in Xi’an, China, on April 28. They also took a commemorative photo with representatives from travel agencies, companies, and organizations who signed the cooperation agreement.>

<Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok meets with Pang Hongwei, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Committee, in Xi’an, China on April 28, to discuss cooperation plans.>

Incheon Metropolitan City disclosed that Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, during his visit to Xi’an, China on April 28 local time, pledged to collaborate with Xi’an City and the Incheon Tourism Corporation to attract group tourists from China to Incheon. They also shared that promotional initiatives aimed at revitalizing the tourism industry in Incheon were undertaken during the visit.

Incheon City has been actively facilitating the prospective engagement of Chinese companies and organizations in cultural tourism, educational excursions, and incentive tourism initiatives. 

Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok’s visit to Xi’an aimed to proactively address the significant demand for group tourists from China. During the signing ceremony, attended by officials from Xi’an’s Department of Cultural and Leisure Affairs, representatives of travel agencies from both Korea and China, and local journalists, Mayor Yoo highlighted, “Incheon has a rich history of cultural tourism, boasting diverse cultural heritage sites from prehistoric times to the modern era, along with numerous beautiful islands and world-class cultural content.” He continued, “On behalf of Incheon’s 3 million citizens, I warmly welcome cooperation in attracting group tourists to our city from Xi’an, a center of Chinese history and culture.” He further expressed, “Through this collaboration, I hope to enhance the visibility of Incheon’s tourism charm throughout China.” 

The Incheon Tourism Corporation anticipates attracting around 80,000 tourists through its recent endeavors to appeal to group tourists from China.

Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok also showed efforts to enhance friendly cooperation with Xi’an City. On April 28 local time, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok held a meeting with Pang Hongwei, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Committee, to explore avenues for bolstering friendly cooperation between the two cities. They affirmed their shared commitment to cooperation, including initiatives to attract tourists, while deliberating on various measures. 

Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok remarked, “Xi’an, historically renowned as the heart of China, shares a longstanding historical tie with Incheon dating back to the Three Kingdoms period, as evidenced by such landmarks as ‘Neungheodae’ in Incheon, where exchanges with China have occurred.” He elaborated, “Given the many shared historical, cultural tourism, logistics hub, and advanced industrial aspects between Incheon and Xi’an, there exists significant potential for collaborative projects. We eagerly anticipate mutual development through diverse exchange programs in the future.” 

In response, Pang Hongwei, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Committee, remarked, “Incheon and Xi’an have engaged in numerous cultural exchanges and collaborated in the tourism sector, notably through the joint promotion of the ‘East Asia Cultural City’ project in 2019.” He continued, “Mayor Yoo’s visit to Xi’an will provide an opportunity to further bolster the cooperative relationship between our two cities across various domains, including economy and culture.”