The Korea Herald

소아쌤

Hanatour, a trailblazer in domestic travel industry

By Korea Herald

Published : Dec. 27, 2011 - 17:59

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Hanatour workers attend a brainstorming session on new travel products. Hanatour workers attend a brainstorming session on new travel products.
Hanatour Service Inc. has been the nation’s largest travel company in terms of overseas trip and air ticket sales for 13 years in a row.

Hanatour has 15 affiliated companies at home and 30 overseas arms, and plans and supplies some 140,000 travel packages to about 7,000 travel agencies including 1,200 Hanatour agencies.

Having been the first travel company to be listed on the KOSDAQ in 2000, Hanatour moved to the KOSPI in November this year.

In 2006, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange, one of the world’s three largest stock markets, laying a stepping stone for global expansion.

Hanatour also became the first Korean tour company to establish a Chinese arm ― Hanatour China in Beijing ― in June 2008, and a branch office in Shanghai two years later.

In 2009, Hanatour USA Inc. was set up in Los Angeles, starting a wholesale business through its global network and doing business for American travelers.

From its very beginning, Hanatour focused its investment on computerized infrastructure, bringing forward real-time travel package search and booking services.

The company also established its own enterprise resource planning system and a real-time reservation information system, which led to an improved use of IT across the domestic travel industry.

Hanatour launched an online travel source at www.getabout.co.kr that allows travel experts and avid travelers to communicate, and smartphone applications named “Get About Jeju,” “Get About Cebu,” and “Get About Phuket” to share travel information.

A corporate social responsibility team was organized under the company’s slogan “The World As One” to use a part of its profits for philanthropy.

The CSR programs led by Hanatour include free travel packages for children and teenagers from low-income families, multicultural and low-income couples who have not been able to go on honeymoons for economic reasons; a “tour challenger” scholarship program for future leaders of the travel industry; and volunteer programs by employees.

Aiming to become the “global No. 1 culture and travel group” by 2020, Hanatour is doing its best to satisfy its customers, shareholders as well as society with a strong passion and faith in the future of the travel market.