The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) hosted the highly successful Korea Transit Tour Seminar 2025 at Lanson Place Mall of Asia on March 14, 2025, bringing together 150 key partners from travel agencies, airlines, and media. The seminar aimed to showcase Korea’s transit tourism offerings and foster collaboration between travel professionals to promote Korean tourism to Filipino travelers.
The event began with a warm welcome from Mr. Park Younghee, Director of KTO Manila, who expressed appreciation for the strong partnerships cultivated with the Philippine travel sector over the years. He was followed by KTO Assistant Manager, Ms. Jen Uy, who presented key insights into the growing popularity of transit tourism, especially among Filipino travelers.
In her presentation, Ms. Uy highlighted that in 2024, Incheon International Airport welcomed about 620,000 Filipino transit passengers. The Philippines ranked second in terms of passengers utilizing transit tourism products, representing 12.4%. She also highlighted the two types of visa-free entry available for Filipino transit passengers:
- 30-Day Visa-Free Entry for passengers holding visas to countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and several EU countries. Passengers must meet specific conditions, including holding a confirmed onward flight ticket and having a clean immigration record.
- 3-Day Visa-Free Entry for travelers transferring through Incheon Airport to a third country, as long as they participate in a recognized transit tour program.
KTO further elaborated on their transit tour offerings, including the Free Transit Tour for passengers with layovers under 24 hours, and the K-Stopover Program for layovers between 24 to 72 hours. Both programs provide a variety of options for travelers to explore Korea’s rich culture, with the Free Transit Tour offering flexible tour durations, while the K-Stopover Program includes affordable packages featuring accommodation, transportation, airport lounges, and shopping vouchers.
The seminar also covered the introduction of the E-Arrival Card and the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju.
E-Arrival Card is a new program for online submission of entry declarations, which started on February 24, 2025. Filipino travelers must now submit their entry information online up to three days before they arrive in Korea, streamlining the immigration process.
The 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju offers a prime opportunity to showcase Korea’s traditions and culture globally, while promoting international expansion. It will be the first APEC summit held in a city with a concentration of UNESCO World Heritage sites, aligning with the government’s vision of making Korea a desirable place to live.
The event provided a valuable opportunity for Filipino travel agents to meet directly with key airlines such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines and discuss the details of their transit flight services, as well as explore ways to further promote Korea’s transit tourism products.
KTO continues to enhance the visibility of Korea’s tourism offerings, catering to the growing number of Filipino tourists passing through Incheon Airport, and strengthening the travel and tourism ties between Korea and the Philippines. “We are excited to see the strong interest in Korea’s transit tours from our travel partners in the Philippines,” said Mr. Park Younghee. “This seminar is just the beginning of what we hope will be a fruitful partnership in promoting Korea as a top transit tour destination for Filipino travelers.”
