ZaiSeoul is a Korean Travel business specifically catering for Chinese tourist requirements through their travel service platform. On the 18th September, ZaiSeoul confirmed an investment from NICE group for US$2.5m (KRW 3b).
Since 2011, ZaiSeoul has distributed a discount coupon like magazine in Korea and China. The magazine distributed monthly, services Chinese tourists with travel information including accommodation, restaurants, tourist attractions, shopping and other travel related contents. In total, the magazine has distributed more than 1.65m copies.
The accumulated Korean travel related content of ZaiSeoul magazine which has been prepared in Chinese has been extended online. ZaiSeoul offers O2O (online to offline) through their web and mobile sites which directly offer travel information, travel bookings, places to eat, local tours and tourism related product and services. This service has been popular with Chinese tourists. Through the investment, ZaiSeoul plans to register a business in China and develop a local presence.
ZaiSeoul has recently employed twenty Chinese local guides who are working to strengthen ties with local companies. Among the local Chinese companies are local travel agent C-Trip and ChungYo and a O2O platform developer. These companies and other local companies are jointly developing tourism products for marketing.
Lee Kyoung Jun a representative from ZaiSeoul said, “Early this year, we signed an MOU with Gangnam local council which has allowed us to invite a Chinese blogger to Korea. ZaiSeoul with our unique knowhow develops products and marketing content which are earning positive responses from locals. With this investment, we wish to strengthen our local presence in China and increase our products and marketing there. Our aim is to set the benchmark for Korean tourism in China through a O2O platform”.
A representative from NICE Group said, “ZaiSeoul possesses unique content and the related marketing knowhow. ZaiSeoul is one in a million and generation leading so we have a high expectations. The group’s knowledge of big data analysis, their content database, local knowledge, service additions, Nice Information Communication, KIS information communication, OKPOS like transaction infrastructure are behind ZaiSeouls O2O platform. Through this investment we expect various synergy effects”.
