![Pohang City introduced its tourism resources and content to the local travel industry in Tianjin on the 24th and discussed cooperation plans. [Photo=Pohang City]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/03/CP-2023-0070/image-9a3ca6a7-aa82-4030-8a68-bb8d47b879ad.jpeg)
On the 24th, Pohang hosted a tourism briefing in Tianjin, where city officials showcased local attractions and tourism content to travel-industry professionals and explored collaboration opportunities.
The city plans a follow-up briefing in Shanghai on the 26th to continue developing tour packages and joint marketing initiatives.
These briefings are part of Pohang’s strategy to strengthen partnerships with local travel agencies and lay the groundwork for new tourism products as the Chinese market recovers.
Notably, the outreach starts in the northern hub of Tianjin and extends to Shanghai, a key economic and tourism center—an intentional move to connect with major regional gateways.
Officials from Tianjin and representatives from major online travel platforms, including Ctrip and Fliggy, attended the event and showed strong interest.
At the briefing, Pohang spotlighted its top attractions—Spacewalk, the Igari Anchor Observatory, and Cheongha Gongjin Market (a filming site for the drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha)—as well as local specialties like king crab and mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and hands-on experience-based tours to highlight the city’s unique appeal.
During networking sessions, participants discussed practical cooperation measures, including joint tour-product development, strategies to attract group travelers, and incentive programs.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, about 1.26 million foreign visitors came to Korea in January 2026, a 13.3% increase from the same month last year. Chinese tourists accounted for the largest share—about 418,000—and demand from China has clearly rebounded since the visa-free policy took effect.
To capitalize on that momentum, Pohang is combining online and offline marketing. After participating in last year’s Guangzhou International Travel Fair and running familiarization tours, the city is ramping up promotions this year on the Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu.
Sang-hyun Lee, director of Pohang’s Tourism, Convention and City Promotion Headquarters, said, “This briefing helped us expand cooperation with the Chinese travel industry and gave us a platform to raise Pohang’s profile. We’ll continue building local networks and tailoring our marketing to attract more visitors from Greater China.”
