Korea kicks off Welcome Week with crafts and travel tips

A poster for the 2025 Korea Welcome Week / Courtesy of Visit Korea Committee

Visitors arriving in Korea this weekend will be greeted by a booth offering regional travel tips, transportation and shopping advice — and even a glimpse of traditional Korean crafts.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Visit Korea Committee announced Wednesday that they will host “2025 Korea Welcome Week” beginning Friday and continuing through May 16, featuring special events for foreign visitors.

The welcome booths will showcase traditional Korean crafts — such as patchwork, hanji (traditional Korean paper) and mother-of-pearl inlay — while also connecting visitors with hands-on craft experience programs available across the country. Multilingual staff fluent in English, Japanese and Chinese will be on hand to provide regional travel tips, as well as practical guidance on mobile services, transportation and payment options.

The booths will operate daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Incheon and Gimpo international airports from Saturday to May 10, and at Jeju International Airport from May 2 to 16. At Busan Port International Passenger Cruise Terminal, the welcome booths will open twice — on May 10 and 15 — coinciding with the arrival of international cruise ships at 4 p.m.

The event coincides with a peak travel period for inbound tourists, including Japan’s Golden Week, China’s Labor Day holiday and the APEC Second Senior Officials’ Meeting in Jeju. Another Korea Welcome Week is planned for this fall to coincide with the APEC Summit, which will be held in Gyeongju, in southeastern Korea, in October and November. Welcome booths will be set up at major international airports, train stations and ports to greet foreign visitors.

To mark the start of Korea Welcome Week, a digital tourism map will be made available through welcome booths.

Created using Naver’s multilingual map service, the guide includes information on craft experience locations across the country, regional tourist attractions, currency exchange centers, shopping spots and convenience facilities.