New charter flight between Seoul and Marseille-Provence

The Hanjin Travel Group and its South Korean tour operator subsidiary, Kaltour, are offering holidays in the South of France. Their first direct leisure flights between Seoul and Marseille-Provence are scheduled for spring 2014.

 Three direct leisure flights, the first into France, will bring a total of almost 1,000 South Korean tourists for one-week trips to Marseille and the South of France. Up until now, South Korea's only links with Europe have been scheduled flights to major capitals and leisure flights to Oslo in Norway and Zagreb in Croatia.

 So, after the launch in 2013 of direct flights between Marseille and New York by XL Airways France, and after Air Transat's decision to complement its Marseille-Montreal route with flights between Marseille and Toronto from summer 2014, now - and for the first time - there are direct flights from Marseille-Provence to Asia.

 Jean-François Brando, President of mp Airport:

 "This is a major development for the airport. It opens up whole new perspectives for us. These first leisure flights from Asia are very promising and may constitute a powerful traffic development lever in future years. More and more tourists from emerging classes in Asia will want to discover the charms of the South of France, and Marseille-Provence is the perfect gateway for such trips.

 When tourists arrive at Marseille-Provence, they are within minutes of the new Marseille and the most beautiful spots in Provence, and within just hours of other world-renowned places.

 The launch of these first leisure flights is also the fruit of work carried out jointly with Marseille's Tourism and Congress Board (OTCM). It strives to develop tourism throughout the entire Marseille-Provence region, putting to good use the boost in the city's tourism appeal after MP 2013 (Marseille-Provence, 2013 European Capital of Culture)."

Mrs Dominique Vlasto, Euro-MP and Marseille City Councillor for Tourism:

 "Marseille's Tourism and Congress Board has been prospecting in the Korean market for 5 years.  Promotional tools in Korean, numerous meetings in that country, and hosting educationals with our tourism partners, have all brought this wonderful project to fruition. It lends weight to our ambition of establishing Marseille as a major Mediterranean tourist destination. It is also further proof of the results a destination can achieve when it succeeds in selling itself in a coordinated manner."

Frédéric Tambon, Director of Atout France in Korea:

 "Korea's economy is one of the most dynamic in the Asia region and the country's development will translate into an increasing number of Korean tourists in coming years. Today, France is the country that Koreans dream of visiting most.

 The reputation of Provence has grown considerably in Korea over recent years, thanks to the combined efforts of the PACA Regional Tourism Board, the Tourism and Congress Boards of Marseille, Aix en Provence and Avignon, the region's professionals, and Atout France.

 The increase in single destination circuits in the region, such as this one, is the reward for all of the effort that has been made."

The circuits organised by Hanjin Travel will show Korean tourists the "new" Marseille, where they will stay on arrival, as well as the whole of the South of France, with stops in Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Gordes, Avignon, Cannes, Nice, Carcassonne, etc.