Korean Air said it will add three more flights a week to Honolulu from Incheon International Airport starting June 12 in response to the growing popularity of Hawaii as a vacation destination for South Koreans.

The flights, scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, will boost Korean Air's capacity on the route by 780 seats a week.

Through the first three months of the year a total of 20,211 South Koreans have visited Hawaii, a 91 percent increase over the same period last year. The 54,957 South Koreans that visited Hawaii in 2009 represented a 44 percent increase over 2008.

"We are excited by the additional service and feel it will boost arrivals and spending even further from this important market." said Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority..

The Hawaii Tourism Authority and its contractor, Hawaii Tourism Korea, have been working with the visitor industry to drive demand to travel to Hawai'i from the growing Korea market through aggressive marketing campaigns and cooperative programs.