California opens travel office in Korea

The California Travel and Tourism Commission will open an office in Seoul on to generate marketing and promotional campaigns to bring South Korea travelers to California. The commission hired AVIAREPS Marketing Garden to represent the California tourism industry in South Korea. South Korea is California’s fourth-largest overseas market, with 331,000 visitors, according to Caroline Beteta, CTTC chief executive officer.  “We expect that number to increase dramatically with the easing of visa restrictions and expected expansion in airlift.” South Korean travel in California generated $405 million in 2007, with an average leisure travel expenditure of $1,368 per visit. California now has overseas travel offices in the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Germany and Mexico.