[Startup] Travel Seoul with One Pass, 'Seoul Travel Pass'

    SEOUL, KOREA, December 03, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- If you are going to travel Europe, one of the things you search for on the internet before packing will be the travel pass in the area. With a travel pass, backpackers can not only save money, but also can make good memories.

For example, there is a 'Paris Museum Pass' that offers tours in the famous museums in Paris including the Louvre, a 3 days free city transport pass 'Rome Pass' and a 'Singapore City Pass' that offers reduced price tours in Singapore etc., there are many types of travel passes. Travel passes are especially popular because they save traveler's time without waiting in long queues to buy tickets.

Last year, more than 10 million travelers visited Seoul. One of the notable facts is that with the Korean wave, the number of Chinese travelers has almost tripled, exceeding the number of Japanese travelers. The themes of tours are also becoming increasingly varied. Apart from typical activities like the boat tour on the Han river or visiting the 63 Building and Gyeongbokgung, visiting the places from popular Korean dramas such as 'My love from the star' are becoming a new tour trend. And a lot of Chinese speaking tourists from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore etc. which take up 65% of all tourist visits with specific purposes like shopping, health and plastic surgery etc.

Then, is there a proper travel pass for the tourists who visit Seoul? Unfortunately, except for a couple of famous tourist attractions, a pass service is still not available.

SEOUL TRAVEL PASS_APP
Korean startup company Travolution (www.travolution.co.kr) released a 'Seoul Travel Pass' that adopted the concept of successful pass services overseas, after carefully considering the situation of Korean tours.

The CEO of Travolution Mr. Inho Bae asked himself a question, "Why are there no travel pass services in Korea?" With the working experience at the marketing and advertising position in the Korean branch of Mariana Tourism Board, he has long been interested in the strong travel pass market in North America and the European market.

"I combined mobile technology with the pass service which is very active in oversea markets. I wondered why there are no pass services for foreign tourists that combine various tour services like museum admissions and activities in one pass. After planning, I ended up starting it myself," he said.

STP_China appstore
(Above mage: The screen of Seoul Travel Pass in Chinese app store)

'Seoul Travel Pass' was released last March and users can download it for free in Google Playstore or App Store. It introduces famous tourist attractions, museums and other attractive areas in Seoul or Gyeongi area. By providing this information, it is also marketing the local areas. And it is also providing a customized tour service for many tourists that visit Korea for a one day tour or a half day tour.

Originally, Seoul Travel Pass started with a ticketing service for foreign travelers and now it is also providing a tour package service or coupons. It is getting more and more popular among foreign travelers after being equipped with various tour contents related to each area. They made MOU with more than 50 tourist attractions.

To use Seoul Travel Pass, users can visit the website or download the pass from the application. Users can get the pass with a QR cord bearing the information of the number of pass users and the information of the area they are visiting. There is a serial number on each pass and users can enter into the attractions just by scanning it at the ticket booth. The pass can be used within 60 days after the purchase and it is possible to use right after it is bought.

SEOUL PASS_members
(Above image: From the left, Hyunseok Han(Director, Co-founder), Hyungho Lee(Developer), Inho Bae(CEO), Soojung Bae(Designer))

"We are in the very early stages but we strongly aim to develop the service like the successful one day pass or city pass in North America and Europe. The reasons that lie behind the success of pass culture in America and Europe are their broad land and the active travel market between the nations, which brought about a lot of consumption. As the travel between Asian countries is becoming more popular, we can expect bigger possibilities from pass services in the Asian market," the CEO said adding, "We are also planning a global service that provides a pass platform in nations like China or South East Asian countries."

With the recent conclusion of the Korea-China FTA, more and more Chinese travelers are expected to visit Korea. "In 2015, we will aggressively target the Chinese market. Now we are developing Chinese content in the service and setting up the payment methods including Alipay in the app to become more approachable to Chinese travelers," CEO Mr. Bae said.

Seoul Travel Pass won the 'Korea Tourist Organization's Creative Tour business contest' and received prize money and marketing support. Not only that, they were awarded the prizes from Korea Culture Minister for creative public business idea, Goyangsi's MICE business idea contest etc. which enabled them to prepare for the seed money. Also, they have been selected as a member of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP)'s NIPA innovative venture center and settled down at R&D tower in Nuri Dream Square in Sangam-dong, Seoul.

Flexible and effective tour service is desperately needed to response to the rapidly changing Korean FIT travel market and the types of foreign travelers. The future of Seoul Travel Pass as an attractive travel service that shows Seoul to the world is highly anticipated.

The Seoul Travel Pass is a sightseeing city passes to help foreigner travelers save time, save money and save energy.

The Seoul Travel Pass is the ultimate sightseeing pass system that is specially customized for foreign travelers. It allows tourists to make the most out of their trip. Travelers can use Seoul Travel Pass via our website and smartphone APP.

It's so simple and easy!

Firstly, select attractions you want to visit among more 30 attractions in Seoul. Secondly, Check out how much you saved and make order. Finaly, Print out the email voucher or download the PASS on smartphone App. Now you're all done!

You can also get addtional discount coupons for restaurants and shops across the city to save even more during your stay in Seoul.

Spend less, See more.

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