A South Korean government official said in a speech on Tuesday that he hoped the recently-opened Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort at Incheon, which has a foreigner-only casino, would boost what he termed “cultural tourism” to the country.
Yu In-Chon (pictured), Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in charge of the department responsible for overseeing the country’s casino industry, was speaking at a formal ceremony to mark Mohegan Inspire’s entry to the market.
The property – promoted by the United States-based Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, trading as Mohegan Gaming – launched non-gaming facilities on November 30, and its casino on February 3, in time for lunar new year.
The minister stated: “The [South] Korean government granted [Mohegan] Inspire a casino licence in February, which we hope will be the first step in raising the level of cultural tourism in Korea beyond just adding another single casino venue.”
He said: “This will require Inspire’s continued investment and efforts to become a globally-competitive Korean integrated resort.”
“We hope that Inspire will lead the development of a healthy casino industry and serve as an inbound platform to spread K-culture to the world,” added the minister.
The latter was a reference to various aspects of South Korean popular culture that have a following across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, including K-pop and what are sometimes termed K-Beauty, K-Food, and K-Fashion.
Mohegan Inspire is close to Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s main air hub. Recent news reports of concerts to be held by American singer Taylor Swift in the city-state of Singapore, indicate that foreign tourists can be willing to travel long distances to see an act if an artist has significant appeal.
The South Korean minister referred in his speech to the 15,000-seat Inspire Arena, which has already hosted a number of K-pop concerts and other large-scale events. On Friday and Saturday (March 8 and 9) it is due to host American rock band Maroon 5.
The minister said: “I hope that various performances will be held in the [Inspire] Arena, which is the latest dedicated venue and has invested heavily in sound facilities.”
Philip Goldberg, the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, was also at Tuesday’s formal launch. He said that Mohegan Gaming’s US$1.6 billion investment was anticipated to create 3,000 jobs. The latter figure was reiterated by James Gessner, Mohegan Gaming’s chairman, who was also present at the Tuesday occasion.
Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon, said at the official ceremony: “I believe that [Mohegan] Inspire Resort will not only revitalise the local economy and tourism, but also develop into a representative tourist resort in Korea.”
He added: “The city of Incheon will continue to… help the project develop significantly.”
