To celebrate the 10th year since the opening of its Manila Office, the Korea Tourism Organization, together with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center, held the two-day event "2022 Korea Festival" at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati last 10 to 11 September. This was the first time the Embassy, KTO, and KCC celebrated Korean Thanksgiving or Chuseok together in an event.
Popular activities at the fair included the wearing of Hanbok or Korean traditional clothing; playing Korean traditional games such as ddakji, dalgona candy, and jegichagi; and learning Hangeul or Korean calligraphy. Since it was also Chuseok in Korea, one of the highlights was the Songpyeon or half-moon-shaped rice cake-making and -tasting session.
Korea reopened its borders to Filipino tourists last 1 June. From then until August 2022, the country has recorded an increase of 60 percent in Filipino tourist arrivals compared to last year's numbers. To further reignite the interest of Filipino tourists and to make Korea their first international destination after the pandemic, KTO partnered with seven airlines and five local travel agencies to offer special promo fares and installment deals just for the Korea Travel Fair.
The seven airlines are Korean Air, Jeju Air, Asiana Airlines, Fly Gangwon, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Air Asia. Partner travel agencies Ark Travel Express, Horizon Travel and Tours, Pan Pacific Travel Corporation, Rakso Travel and Tours, and Travel Specialist Ventures offered flexible payment terms and installment options available to BPI credit and debit card holders.
Visitors who purchased from any of the participating partners at the fair also got to redeem special gifts from KTO. Live musical performances — among them K-pop soloist Soyou, who traveled to Manila especially for the event — as well as travel quizzes, a talk show, fun games, and a mix of modern and traditional activities completed the two-day festivities.
