Filipino comedian and actress Melai Cantiveros visited South Chungcheong Province with her family and production crew as local officials seek to attract Filipino Catholic tourists ahead of World Youth Day Seoul 2027.
The actor and social media personality toured the province from Tuesday to Thursday as part of a promotional trip organized by South Chungcheong Province and the Korea Tourism Organization’s Manila office, officials said Thursday.
Cantiveros has a combined 21 million followers and subscribers across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, according to provincial officials. She is also serving as an honorary ambassador for family travel to Korea for the Korea Tourism Organization from 2024 to 2026.
The tour focused on Catholic pilgrimage sites, including Haemi International Holy Ground, the Wake-Up International Youth Center in Seosan, Hapdeok Catholic Church and Solmoe Holy Ground in Dangjin, known as the birthplace of Korean Catholicism.
On Wednesday, Cantiveros and her family visited Haemi International Holy Ground and the Wake-Up center, where they filmed vlogs and short-form videos. An Indian priest at Haemi and a Filipino staff member at the youth center accompanied the group and explained the sites, according to Seosan city officials.
The itinerary also included family-oriented tourist attractions. Cantiveros visited the Taean International Horticulture Healing Expo, experienced a mud foot bath at Boryeong Mud Theme Park and spent time with her family at Sapgyoho Amusement Park in Dangjin.
Seosan city said it provided English-language tourism materials and promoted historical and cultural attractions in the Haemi area, along with its religious tourism resources.
Officials said videos from the trip are expected to help introduce South Chungcheong Province’s pilgrimage routes and local attractions to Filipino travelers through social media.
The campaign follows Seosan city’s participation in the Philippine Travel Tour Expo 2026 in Manila in February.
(This story was created with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
hnpark@heraldcorp.com
