[Edaily Reporter Oh Hee-na ] Seoul is poised to emerge as a destination for extended-stay business tourism for foreign companies. The city plans to continuously tap into related demand by linking the business and conference facilities at the Seoul MICE Plaza with the accessibility of Gimpo International Airport and Magok’s infrastructure for R&D, MICE, lodging, and culture.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation announced on the 20th that they successfully concluded a three-day “Seoul Workation Fam Tour” for Japanese corporate representatives, held from September 15 to 17 with the Magok Seoul MICE Plaza as the base. This event was organized to identify “bleisure” (Business + Leisure) demand—which combines work and tourism at the corporate level—by inviting representatives from Japanese startups, economic organizations, and media outlets.

Over the course of two nights and three days, participants experienced Seoul’s corporate workation environment by engaging in remote work, seminars, and networking events at the Seoul Workation Center within the Seoul MICE Plaza. During the seminar on the first day, participants shared insights on domestic workation trends and corporate adoption cases, and engaged in in-depth discussions regarding the feasibility of Japanese companies adopting Seoul workations and effective support measures.

After work hours, a tourism program was provided to let participants experience Seoul’s diverse attractions. They visited the nearby Seoul Botanical Garden, attended a Korean cuisine cooking class, explored the streets of Hongdae, and boarded the “Seoul Dal” in Yeouido to admire Seoul’s night views, enjoying a stay-based tourism experience that combined work and leisure.

Magok Seoul MICE Plaza, which served as the hub for this familiarization tour, is regarded as having an optimal location that allows for business, meetings, lodging, and tourism to be handled all in one place. Located about 10 minutes from Gimpo International Airport, it offers excellent accessibility for short-haul international business visitors, such as those from Japan, and is surrounded by a concentration of MICE, cultural, and shopping infrastructure, including COEX Magok, hotels, the LG Arts Center, and One Grove.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to expand “Seoul, After Business,” a customized tourism program for international business visitors, and leverage Magok’s infrastructure to develop the southwestern region into a key hub for extended-stay business tourism.

Kim Byung-min, CEO of the Seoul Tourism Foundation, stated, “Through this familiarization tour, Japanese corporate executives experienced a corporate workation environment by working and holding meetings directly at the Seoul MICE Plaza,” adding, “We will continue to identify demand for workations in Seoul among overseas companies by leveraging the excellent access to Gimpo Airport and Magok’s MICE infrastructure, and by linking them with Seoul’s diverse tourism offerings.”

Cho Seong-ho, Director General of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Tourism and Sports, remarked, “Recently, business tourism has expanded beyond international conferences and exhibitions to include ‘bleisure’ and ‘workation,’ which combine work and tourism.” He added, “By linking the work and meeting facilities of the Seoul MICE Plaza with Magok’s infrastructure, we will develop the area into a business tourism hub in the southwestern region where overseas business visitors can experience Seoul.”