The Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Korea Center in Seoul will organize workshops this week in Laos, Indonesia and the Philippines to strengthen cooperation in the food and tourism sectors.

The center, established in 2009 to foster collaboration between ASEAN and Korea, will host a product development workshop for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Vientiane, Laos, from Monday to Wednesday.

The workshop is organized with the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and aimed at enhancing competitiveness of the country’s MSMEs in a region where they account for over 95 percent of all businesses.

The event offers lectures on branding, marketing and packaging strategies by Korean food experts, with an eye on domestic and international markets. Packaging simulation exercises are included, with participants giving feedback and consulting with the lecturers. Korean professionals will also visit local companies for consultation and market research. 

From Wednesday to Thursday, the center will host a tourism capacity-building workshop in Lombok, Indonesia, titled “Lombok: Opening New Dimensions for Korean Travelers,” organized with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism.

The event is designed to improve the capacity of Indonesian tourism professionals and industry, with a particular focus on Korean travelers.

“A growing number of Koreans travel to Lombok, which was designated one of 12 top destinations by the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism,” according to Kim Young-sun, secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Center.

The second destination for Korean travelers after Bali, the island in West Nusa Tenggara province boasts a variety of attractions for families, honeymoons and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, also known as MICE tourism. Some 11,100 Koreans visited the island last year.

Korean tourism professionals will lecture on strategies to make Lombok an appealing place to Koreans -- delving into their tastes, trends and needs -- with some 100 Indonesian counterparts from the private and public sectors. A discussion on building networks and exploring collaboration activities will take place involving Korean speakers and high-level policymakers from Indonesia.

The center previously organized tourism workshops in Jakarta in 2010, Makassar in 2012 and Bali in 2014.

On Monday, the center was set to hold a tourism capacity-building workshop in Davao, Philippines, with the country’s Department of Tourism, focusing on the MICE industry.

The Davao City on the Mindanao Island is one of top three MICE destinations and top five tourism destinations in the Philippines, along with Cebu, Boracay, Bohol and Palawan. The MICE industry has been identified as one of nine priority targets under the National Tourism Development Plan.

Holding the ASEAN Chairmanship this year, the Philippines will host numerous international meetings, including the ASEAN Summit.

During the workshop, Korean tourism experts will conduct consultations with stakeholders from incentive tour spots in the region. They will also share Korea’s experience in the MICE industry as well as online marketing strategies. A roundtable discussion between policymakers and professionals will take place to explore untapped opportunities.

Koreans are the top visitors to the Philippines, accounting for over a quarter of total tourists to the country last year. They are also the third-largest group to Davao after Americans and Japanese, recording over 8,600 last year.

The center held tourism cooperation workshops in Cebu in 2010, Boracay in 2012 and Davao in 2014. The Korean government recently inaugurated an honorary consulate in Davao in recognition of its growth potential and increasing exchange between the two countries.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)