After taking office, new Hanatour CEO Cho Jojin unveiled his first mid- to long-term strategy, "Hanatour Chapter 2." The thrust is to redefine Hanatour not as a company that sells travel products, but as an "experience-centered platform" that connects people and experiences.
Hanatour said on the 19th that CEO Cho held a strategy presentation for executives and employees at the headquarters in Jongno District, Seoul, on the 18th and announced a mid- to long-term strategy with these details.
Cho presented three key directions for driving sustainable growth: strengthening premium themed travel, developing a K-culture-based inbound (overseas visitors to Korea) platform business, and AI-based digital innovation.
First, in premium themed travel, the company will design rare experiences that reflect customers' tastes and interests. Targeting premium customers with high repurchase rates and loyalty, it plans to advance high-touch services that manage the entire journey from product planning to after-sales care.
The inbound business will be built around K-culture content with strong overseas demand, such as medical and beauty, performances, fine dining, and shopping. By consolidation of Hanatour's domestic and overseas customer touchpoints, platforms, and on-the-ground operating capabilities, the company aims to provide a travel experience that spans before, during, and after foreign customers' trips to Korea.
AI will be applied across the business value chain. By integrating AI into all areas, including product planning, customer consultation, and targeted marketing, the company plans to raise operating efficiency while delivering hyper-personalized travel experiences, capturing both top-line growth and profitability.
Cho said, "Fundamental change for a company begins with a shift that reinterprets existing strengths from a new perspective," adding, "Our first question should not be 'Where will we go?' but 'For whom and for what is the travel?'" He continued, "Hanatour will evolve from a company that knows the most destinations to a company that understands customers the most deeply."
Cho, who graduated from the economics department at Seoul National University, is a professional manager with about 35 years of experience at global consulting firms and in the finance and card industries. Hanatour expects Cho to be the right person to lead the execution of this strategy by leveraging the customer experience data the company has accumulated.