Jeju’s hosting of the World Conservation Congress in 2012 will raise its profile as a green meetings destination, says the South Korean island’s tourism chief.
Yang Young-keun, president of Jeju Tourism Organisation, says the IUCN gathering from September 5-16 will mark a major step towards establishing the island’s eco credentials among global convention organisers. The congress, organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is predicted to attract around 10,000 delegates and participants from 180 countries.
“The World Conservation Congress is giving us optimism about attracting more international meetings from the West,” says Yang.
The gathering, held every four years, is seen as the most important in the conservation calendar and is aimed at placing nature at the top of the global agenda and influencing policies. Jeju International Convention Centre, near the Jungmun resort in the south of the island, will be the main venue.
Jeju has been officially designated as a ‘MICE city’ by the Republic of Korea government with the aim of it being a leader in the hosting of green meetings and events. According to the Korea Tourism Organisation’s international meetings survey, about 150 business events a year are held on the island.
During Jeju Green MICE Week in November 2011, Yang said the island’s convention bureau and tourism officials would extend their efforts to attract meeting groups beyond the main markets of South Korea, China and Japan.
Yang, referring to the new wave of South Korean popular culture that has attracted more visitors to the country, said: “Previously we targeted the Asia market, but now we want meeting organisers in the West to know K-wave is coming from East Asia.”
The island has also been designated by the South Korean government as a hub for the development of electric vehicles, while Unesco has granted the island ‘triple crown’ status for its success in nurturing nature and science.
Efforts to promote the island as an international destination were also given a fillip recently when online users voted Jeju as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’.