Participants take part in an incentive travel program organized by U.S.-based World System Builder in Seoul in 2025.SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT
Seoul will welcome 1,400 Herbalife incentive travelers from India in September, its largest Indian incentive group since 2023.
The visitors will arrive in three groups. Each will spend four days and three nights in Seoul for tourism and cultural programs, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday. The last larger Indian incentive group was a 3,257-person HDFC Bank group in 2023. Incentive travel is company-sponsored travel used to reward performance or motivate participants.
Herbalife is a global health and wellness multilevel marketing company.
Seoul is strengthening its standing in meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE). The city hosted 216 international meetings in 2025 and ranked first in Asia for a second straight year under the Union of International Associations, announced last year. Seoul ranked ninth worldwide under the International Congress and Convention Association and remained in the global top 10 for a third straight year.
U.S. business travel magazine Global Traveler named Seoul its Best MICE City for an 11th consecutive year in its 2025 awards. Earlier this month, Trazee Travel named Seoul Favorite Worldwide City for a fifth straight year at its 2026 Trazees awards.
Seoul is also receiving more group bookings from global corporates. Applications for and approvals of city support for corporate meetings and incentive travel rose 36.3 percent through July from the same period last year. The number of MICE events increased 82.4 percent.
In particular, the city is drawing many incentive groups from India.
Around 1,000 Indian incentive travelers visited through July, and roughly 2,000 Indian group visitors are scheduled to arrive in September, including the Herbalife group. Five hundred employees of Birla Opus, an Indian paint manufacturer and distributor, are scheduled to begin a visit to Seoul and other destinations on Sept. 1.
Members of an HDFC Bank incentive travel group visit Seoul in 2023.SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT
“Incentive travel groups visiting Seoul used to be concentrated in Southeast Asia, but recently the popularity of K-content has helped broaden Seoul’s reach to new markets including India,” a city official said.
Seoul also sees an economic payoff in incentive travel. Incentive travelers spend about 1.5 times as much per person as other foreign visitors, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
The Herbalife visitors will stay across four five-star hotels and visit Gyeongbok Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village and Myeongdong in central Seoul. They are expected to spend on accommodation, shopping, dining and cultural activities during their four-day stays.
Travelers are seen at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Aug. 16.NEWS1
Herbalife initially considered a destination in the United States but switched to Seoul after site visits in June and July. Seoul will provide the group with information on halal and vegan restaurants and the locations of prayer rooms around the city.
“The visit by Herbalife’s Indian incentive group shows that Seoul’s world-class MICE competitiveness is translating into success in attracting large groups,” Cho Sung-ho, director-general of Seoul’s Tourism and Sports Bureau, said. “We will support the visit so that attracting high-value incentive groups benefits Seoul’s hotel, shopping, dining and tourism industries and helps revitalize the local economy.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
