Korean actor Ryu Si-won, Japan`s popular television personality Ikko and renowned drama director Yoon Seok-ho were among the recipients of the 2nd annual Seoul Tourism Awards yesterday.

The ceremony, which took place at Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, was hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan City government and attended by some 450 travel experts and business people from the Asia-Pacific region.

The award marked the peak of the five-day annual tourism event that also included the Seoul Tourism Forum and the Business Travel Mart.



The awards were given out to a total of 17 recipients for different categories including Person of Merit, Person of Tourism, Tourism Policy, Tourism Program, Online Tourism, Best Overall Convention and Best Tourism Service.

Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region, received the tourism merit award for the Asia Pacific region for his contribution in promoting Macau as Asia`s top convention, resort and casino city.

Korea`s noted television series producer and director Yoon Seok-ho was named the person of merit for Seoul tourism for leading Hallyu, or Korean wave.

Park Ki-tae, head of Vank, a non-government organization of volunteers dedicated to informing the world about Korea, was also awarded for his promotional activities overseas with the foreign press.

Japan`s popular television personality and make-up artist Kazuyuki Toyoda, better known as Ikko, was named as a popular Seoul tourism celebrity by promoting Korea`s shopping and cosmetics market. Ikko has been acting as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism by the Korea Tourism Organization since February.

Ryu Si-won was picked for the Korean celebrity category for serving as the special Korean culture promotion ambassador for the past three years and bringing a massive number of his fans to visit the country, among other reasons.

At the Seoul Tourism Forum, which was also held yesterday, travel professionals from countries such as Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore gathered to discuss ways Seoul can become one of the world`s best travel destinations. The topics included tourism vision and strategies for Seoul`s celebration as a global tourism city, as well as the success story of Malaysia and tips on destination branding, among others.

The Travel Mart as a side event allowed business people to build their networks, while a Seoul familiarization tour allowed participants to get a taste of Seoul.

"To develop Seoul Tourism Awards as a great contribution to the growth of the tourism industry, Seoul will exclusively differentiate the event from the previous awards. Taking a step forward, Seoul with develop the Seoul Tourism Awards into an international festival for everyone to enjoy and participate, rather than simply recognizing and awarding those who have contributed to the industry," organizers said.

By Lee Joo-hee



(angiely@heraldm.com)