South Korean visitors Tokyu Ryu, 35, and his bride, Hajin Shon, 32, were previously wed in their home country, but that didn’t stop them from saying “I do” to the romance of an isle wedding.

The couple visited Jessica Choi’s newly opened IDO Wedding Hawaii on Thursday to dress up in wedding finery. Then they set off with a photographer to pose amid the lush backdrops of Diamond Head and Tantalus.

“It’s a trend in Korea to do two wedding photo shoots,” Shon said. “Everybody does it, so we wanted something different. We chose Hawaii for our honeymoon so we could take pictures.”

While nuptial travel to Hawaii is already popular with South Koreans, Choi said she expects the market will take off with the start of Seoul-Honolulu service by Korean low-cost carrier Jin Air on Dec. 19. She and others in Hawaii’s visitor industry see the carrier’s arrival as the most exciting development for the South Korea market since the end of 2008, when the nation was added to the U.S. visa waiver program.

“They are offering round-trip flights for $699. That’s very exciting,” Choi said.

Emily Kim, managing director of Hawaii Tourism Korea, said the arrival of Jin Air will stimulate further demand for Hawaii from a nation that loves to travel.

“The government liberalized overseas travel after the Olympics in 1989 and their outbound travel market has averaged 15 percent growth each year since then,” said Kim, who spoke last month at the Hawaii-Korea International Tourism Forum. “Korea’s outbound travel market is 95 percent the size of Japan’s travel market and it only has 39 percent of the population. Of the long-haul destinations that Koreans visit, the U.S. ranks third.”

While the outlook for Hawaii to grow tourism from South Korean has been bright since the visa waiver was implemented, the perception that Hawaii is a high-cost destination with limited affordable hotel inventory and Korean-centered tourism infrastructure has dampened results.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority had set a goal for Korean arrivals to reach 190,000 visitors in 2015, but it now seems the number will be closer to 177,000 by year’s end. That’s down from the 178,090 Korean visitors that came to Hawaii in 2014.

The new spending forecast of $359.3 million for 2015 also is slightly below HTA’s target of $359.7 million; however, it’s higher than the $334.8 million in Korean visitor spending achieved in 2014.

With the addition of a Jin Air route and a new Korean marketing team, HTA anticipates stronger 2016 results from South Korea. AVIAREPS Korea will replace iConnect Communications on Jan. 1. The company will have a $1.4 million contract to market Hawaii to South Koreans.

Spending in the coming year is expected to rise 8 percent to $388 million and arrivals are forecast to grow 6 percent to 187,461 visitors. Daniel Nahoopii, HTA director of tourism research, said midweek flight load factor and yields continue to be a concern. However, the Jin Air launch is expected to spur greater demand.

“Korean visitors to Hawaii have increased since 2009, with about 40 percent of the market being honeymooners,” said Harry Baek, president and CEO of Lotte Tour, who spoke at the forum.

If Hawaii wants to capture the South Korean market’s potential, it must develop new products to draw tourists outside of the long-established wedding and honeymoon market, Baek said. Hawaii needs to make it easier for families to find affordable accommodations and for all Korean travelers to visit the neighbor islands, which currently lack the tour guides and infrastructure to cater to Korean visitors.

“I hope we can work together for more Korean people to come to Hawaii,” he said.

Kim said that if there is an increase in air seat supply, demand will rise.

The arrival of Jin Air will add 100,000 seats to those available in 2016 to Hawaii’s Korean market, she said.

“The arrival of Jin Air is huge,” Kim said. “Within the next three to four years, I think we’ll be able to double (arrivals).”

Gov. David Ige said the carrier is expected to bring the state about $170 million in revenue and $18 million in direct tax revenue. Ige, who recently returned from an official trip to South Korea, told Jin Air’s representatives that he was committed to helping the company succeed. Ige said that many of the top Korean leaders that he andfirst lady Dawn Ige met during their trip had honeymooned in Hawaii.

“We want more guests from Korea to visit Hawaii,” Ige said at the forum. “We are looking at a record year overall for tourism and I am excited about the potential that Korea represents.”

Indeed, Harry Cho, Jin Air’s general manager in Hawaii, said the company anticipates growth.

“In a couple of years, I think we’ll be offering more than two flights a day,” Cho said.