Final Selection of Pilot Sites for 2020 Smart Tourism City Project
Junggu Gaehangjang Area to Provide Tourist Convenience by Integrating AI, AR·VR, and 5G Technologies
Total Project Cost of 8.8 Billion KRW Including 3.5 Billion KRW National Funding
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Incheon Metropolitan City has been selected as a pilot site for the smart tourism city development project.
On the 15th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, it had finally selected Incheon City as the pilot site for the 2020 smart tourism city development project.
The smart tourism city pilot project involves selecting a specific tourist area and utilizing advanced technologies related to the 4th Industrial Revolution to provide differentiated services and experiences to tourists in that area. Within a 4㎢ radius of the target site, a tourist zone equipped with digital infrastructure such as roads and tourist complexes will be created, applying technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality (AR·VR), and 5G (5th generation mobile communication) to help travelers make reservations, payments, and transportation quickly and conveniently.
Incheon City plans to develop the Wolmi Tourist Special Zone and the Open Port area, the birthplace of modern culture in Korea, into a street concentrated with smart tourism elements under the theme "19th Century Jemulpo Meets the 21st Century." The plan includes ▲ combining the history and cultural content of the Open Port with augmented reality to create experiential tourism content, ▲ providing services such as contactless easy payment, pre-ordering before visits (smart order), and tax refunds all at once, and ▲ offering 17 integrated smart tourism specialized services including AI-based personalized destination recommendations. The project will be funded with a total budget of 8.8 billion KRW, including 3.5 billion KRW from the national government, city funds, and private investments.
Earlier, after the first evaluation in June, three locations?Incheon City (Jung-gu Open Port), Sokcho City in Gangwon Province (Sokcho Beach), and Suwon City in Gyeonggi Province (Suwon Hwaseong)?were selected as the final candidates for the smart tourism city pilot project. A panel of seven private experts comprehensively considered the feasibility of the detailed project plans and the attractiveness of the tourist sites, ultimately selecting Jung-gu, Incheon as the final target site.
To meticulously manage the project, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will regularly check the progress of the project and provide consultations and advice on detailed project plans from external private experts in technology, accounting, and investment. A ministry official stated, "Local governments, private companies, and local residents will participate together in creating tourism services and infrastructure combined with advanced technology elements, which is expected to revitalize local tourism that has been stagnant due to COVID-19. We plan to analyze information accumulated through tourism activities within the smart tourism city to continuously develop the area's tourism content, infrastructure, and services."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization aim to establish three additional smart tourism cities by the end of next year.
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