- Co-development of a tourism product to experience the Korean traditional culture in time for Dano at Namsan Hanok village

- After the MERS crisis August’15, Mayor Park Won Soon has personally visited CTS to propose mutual cooperation which has come to realization

- On the 9th of this month the president will bring along with him 1,000 Chinese tourist where Mayor Park Won Soon will welcome them himself and an MOU will be signed

- Dano traditions such as washing hair in Changpo (calamus) water, making Surichui rice cake, Namsan N Seoul Tower lock event

□ Seoul Metropolitan Government develops a tourism product ‘Seoul Dano’ with the biggest Chinese government-owned travel agency, China Travel Service (CTS) for the first time.

□ This product is taking Dano, a day well known to both Koreans and Chinese, allowing tourist to experience traditional scenes of Dano, to wash hair in Changpo (calamus) water, to make Dano Sun (a traditional hand-made fan), to ride traditional swing in Namsan Hanok village.

□ The package was launched in April and has sold out. 1,000 tourist will be arriving on the 9th of June (Thursday) in Nam San Hanok village as we celebrate Dano.

□ The tourist who has purchased the trip will have 3 to 5 days of Seoul tour in a smaller groups experiencing the charm of Seoul but will all gather in Namsan on the 9th.

□ Last August, headed by Mayor Park Won Soon and the promotion team has visited CTS to encourage tourism to Seoul trying to stop the decrease in tourism after the MERS crisis. This product was the first that was co-developed between Seoul Metropolitan Government and Chinese government-owned travel agency and both are in planning for more packages to be co-developed since the first project is such a success.

□ Seoul Metropolitan Government and CTS team has selected Dano as a subject and conceptualized, structured, planned advertisement strategy and finalized the project in March.

□ In April CTS started on and off line sales and tourist from cities across China such as of Beijing, Shanghai, Ching Tao, Guangzhou, Hong Kong has purchased and CTS has sold out 1,000 in a short time making the project a big success

□ Celebrating the success of the sales, president Xue Xiao Gang will be coming along with the 1,000 tourists on the 9th 2PM to Namsan Hanok village.

□ Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon will be welcoming the president Xue Xiao Gang and tourists and signing an MOU for Korea-China tourism co-development.

□ The MOU consists of ▾Information sharing for systematic development of tourism industry ▾Co-promotion to encourage the tourism market ▾Development and support for celebration and events of high quality experience oriented products ▾Expanding development of tourist packages into private aircrafts and cruises ▾ Other projects between Korea-China to improve the tourism industry.

□ Besides, there will be traditional rope walking/dancing to enhance the fun followed by an experience of Dano traditions such as washing hair in Changpo (calamus) water, making Surichui rice cake, making Jangmyengroo, a tradition wishing health and longevity tying various colors of strings together as a bracelet. In addition, there will also be Hanbok experience, Korean traditional music, Gukak and Samulnori performance to watch.

□ President Xue Xiao Gang and 1,000 tourists will move to Namsan N Seoul Tower, locking everyone’s wish in a lock so that it may come true and this will also add to the unique experience of Seoul.

□ Next day on the 10th (Friday), the Seoul Metropolitan Government and CTS project team will start a meeting with the objective of increasing Korea-China tourism, especially focusing on high quality experience products to wipe away the impression of Korea being a cheap destination to visit replacing that preconception with a favorite destination to be revisited.

□ Kim Yi Seung, the head of Tourism & Sports Bureau in Seoul Metropolitan Government says “President of CTS, Xue Xiao Gang and 1, 000 tourists visiting Seoul has great meaning because it tells us that the efforts of Seoul trying to attract tourism into the city was not in vain. I wish to enhance the quality of tourism products in future and come up with customized tourism products that will lead to more tourists visiting Seoul.”