By Jung Min-ho
The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) opened an office in Almaty, the largest metropolis of Kazakhstan, Friday, as part of its efforts to tap into new markets.
According to the KTO, the new office will be in charge of promoting Korea’s culture, values and products to the Central Asian country and others in the region such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
The KTO said it invited government officials, local travel agents and journalists to the ceremony to celebrate the opening.
The KTO believes Kazakhstan is a great potential market. About 34,000 of its citizens visited Korea last year, up nearly 30 percent from the previous year. Many of them were big spenders.
KTO international marketing director Park Jung-ha said the office there will be the base for its promotional activities tapping the great economic potential of the region.