○ Gyeonggi Province organizes familiarization tour for Delta Air Lines U.S. sales team to mark the launch of the new direct flight route between Salt Lake City and Incheon
○ Expected to boost tourism exchanges between Gyeonggi Province and State of Utah, expanding foreign tourist attraction

On March 13, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization conducted a familiarization (“fam”) tour for Delta Air Lines’ U.S. sales team to major tourist spots in Gimpo City, Gyeonggi Province, including Byeokkot Nongbu (a rice-themed experience center) and Aegibong Peace Ecological Park.

This fam tour is based on the “Gyeonggi–Utah Action Plan” (strengthening cooperation between the two regions, which have been sister regions since September 1983) signed during Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox’s visit to Gyeonggi Province last September. The tour was timed to coincide with Delta Air Lines’ new direct flight route from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) in Utah to Incheon International Airport (ICN) in South Korea, launching on June 12.

The 16-member Delta Air Lines sales team enjoyed experiences such as making gochujang (Korean chili paste) and bibimbap at Byeokkot Nongbu (a café and rural culture complex), and gained unique tourism insights about the ecological environment of the border area and views of North Korea at Aegibong Peace Ecological Park, a tourist site near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Delta Air Lines’ U.S. sales team commented, “Previously, we focused our promotional marketing efforts only on Seoul for U.S. companies, but this visit to Gyeonggi Province was very impressive, and we would recommend visiting Gyeonggi Province.”

Gyeonggi Province Tourism Industry Director Jang Hyang-jeong said, “Starting with the visit of Delta Air Lines’ U.S. sales team, we expect the activation of tourism exchanges and the expansion of foreign tourist attraction between Gyeonggi Province and the State of Utah, especially with the launch of the direct flight route (SLC–ICN) in June… We will continue to cooperate with Utah and Delta Air Lines.”

Meanwhile, this fam tour was the first official follow-up action taken after the signing of the Gyeonggi–Utah Action Plan during Governor Spencer Cox’s visit to Gyeonggi Province last September. It is expected to strengthen the long-standing relationship between the two regions, which has been in place since the sisterhood agreement was established in September 1983.