Southeast Asian tourism got a healthy boost from the ASEAN-Korea Center during the 29th Korea World Travel Fair at Coex with a showcase of major tourist destinations throughout the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

A special ASEAN Pavilion was set up at the fair to introduce visitors to “the culturally rich and diverse attractions located in ASEAN countries, and through the distribution of ASEAN tourism guide books and the promotion of the Korean-language version of the CLMV tourism authority websites,” the ASEAN-Korea Center said in a press briefing. The so-called CLMV refers to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The travel fair, one of the largest in the world, took place from May 29 to June 1.

The 29th Korea World Travel Fair provided a valuable opportunity for the general public to get access to the latest information on ASEAN and tourism in ASEAN. It is anticipated that the occasion will contribute to further invigorating tourism exchanges between ASEAN and Korea, an official from the center said.

Of the 15 million South Korean overseas travelers in 2013, 33 percent ― about 5 million people ― visited ASEAN countries, making Southeast Asia the top travel destination for South Koreans, according to figures from the Korea Tourism Organization.

During the same period, 1.6 million citizens from ASEAN countries visited South Korea, the third-highest number of inbound travelers to South Korea after visitors from China and Japan.

(ephilip2014@heraldcorp.com)