KTO stages its biggest San Francisco travel roadshow yet

By AI, Created 11:45 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The Korea Tourism Organization brought about 150 travel industry professionals to San Francisco for its largest-ever Bay Area B2B roadshow, aiming to sell Korea as more than a K-pop destination. The event focused on regional travel, wellness, food and high-end independent travelers, with a goal of turning industry meetings into new bookings.

Why it matters: - Korea Tourism Organization is trying to widen Korea’s appeal in the U.S. market beyond K-culture. - The push targets American travelers looking for regional destinations, medical wellness, culinary trips and higher-end independent travel. - The event was designed to create direct business ties that can convert into booked trips to Korea.

What happened: - Korea Tourism Organization’s Los Angeles Office hosted “Beyond K-Culture: Travel & Experience Korea” at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum on April 29, 2026. - The full-day roadshow drew about 150 travel industry professionals from Korea and the United States. - The event was the largest B2B travel roadshow KTO LA has held in the San Francisco Bay Area. - Fourteen Korean travel agencies and institutions met with 14 U.S.-based wholesale travel agencies and meeting planners. - The program included pre-matched one-on-one business consultations, industry workshops and an evening showcase of Korea’s tourism offerings.

The details: - The Korea-U.S. B2B Travel Mart ran from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and paired Korean DMCs and RTOs with U.S. travel buyers. - KTO set goals of 150 consultations and 10 contract agreements for the travel mart. - The Visit Korea Workshop ran from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. - Presenters included Gangwon Tourism Foundation, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Premia, Delta Air Lines and Air Canada. - The workshop highlighted Korea’s regional destinations and flight connectivity. - The Beyond K-Culture Evening Program ran from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - The evening program included Korea tourism presentations, a keynote lecture, live cultural performances and an industry networking dinner. - Attendees also took part in K-beauty personal color consultations, Korean traditional beverage pairings and customized regional destination surveys. - Professor Jinhyung Lee of Stanford University’s Schools of Medicine and Engineering delivered the keynote on the neuroscience behind K-wellness and medical tourism. - Lee is a 2012 NIH New Innovator Award recipient and founder of the brain-circuit analytics startup LVIS. - The keynote framed Korea’s wellness and medical tourism offerings through neuroplasticity and cognitive optimization. - Live performances featured soprano Joanna Kim and gayageum artist Lee Jeonghwa. - Joanna Kim is described as a rising international opera singer with multiple competition wins. - Lee Jeonghwa is a National Gugak Center award winner known for blending traditional and contemporary Korean music.

Between the lines: - KTO is repositioning Korea as a destination for more than entertainment-driven tourism. - The Stanford keynote was meant to connect Korea’s wellness and medical travel products to Silicon Valley professionals. - The event mixed business-to-business meetings with cultural programming to move buyers from interest to product sales. - Heo Hyun, director of the Korea Tourism Organization Los Angeles Office, said the San Francisco event was built to turn conversations into real journeys to Korea. - Heo Hyun also said the goal was to build the relationships and product pipeline that get Americans to Seoul and beyond.

What’s next: - KTO will try to convert the 150 consultations into contracts and future bookings. - The organization is expected to keep promoting Korea’s regional destinations, wellness travel and premium independent itineraries in the U.S. market. - KTO Los Angeles will continue working with U.S. travel trade partners to develop and distribute Korea travel products.

The bottom line: - Korea Tourism Organization is betting that direct sales meetings, not just cultural buzz, will help Korea win more American travelers.