The Korea Tourism Organization is conducting the '2021 Tourism Business Support Project Briefing Session' through YouTube.
[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization have unveiled the blueprint for this year's tourism enterprise support projects. With the budget for supporting tourism enterprises increasing by 40.6% compared to last year to 79.3 billion KRW to aid tourism companies struggling due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many companies have shown great interest.
On the 21st, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization held the "2021 Tourism Enterprise Support Project Briefing Session." The briefing, conducted online, saw participation from tourism enterprises and stakeholders interested in government support projects through real-time chat and other means.
The main contents of the support projects include ▲residential support at Tourism Enterprise Support Centers (located in Seoul, Busan, Daejeon-Sejong, Incheon, Gyeongnam, etc., five locations) to help tourism enterprises struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic to rebound and minimize their burdens ▲operation of the "Tourism Enterprise One-Stop Service," which provides comprehensive support from startup to tourism enterprise development through expert consultations in law, patents, finance, and more ▲expansion of customized support according to the growth stages of tourism enterprises such as preliminary, startup, and growth stages.
Additionally, ▲tourism enterprise voucher projects ▲expansion of support and development projects for tourism enterprises possessing innovative digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), platforms, and immersive content ▲projects to nurture companies possessing core technologies linked to the tourism industry have also been prepared.
Furthermore, ▲expansion of tourism enterprise development funds (funds) to focus support on small and venture companies in the tourism sector ▲inducing private investment in tourism enterprises through tourism development projects in collaboration with startup planners who nurture and invest in crowdfunding and early-stage tourism enterprises.
During the briefing session, many participating companies asked various questions regarding eligibility and benefits for each project. Most questions were about whether overlapping support for each project was possible. However, overlapping applications are generally not allowed, and more detailed information should be confirmed directly with the project managers regarding application qualifications.
Success stories of tourism enterprise support projects were also introduced. 'Monolith,' an ICT startup operating the racing theme park '9.81 Park' in Jeju, is a representative company that has grown with support from the Korea Tourism Organization. Officially opened last July, its sales in the second half of the year exceeded twice that of the first half despite the COVID-19 situation. It was also selected as the top company in the 'Enterprise Growth' category of the Excellent Tourism Venture Awards organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization last year.
Yangbae Ahn, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "The tourism industry, which is currently facing great difficulties due to COVID-19, has a greater ripple effect compared to other sectors in terms of economic revitalization and job creation," adding, "We hope that many tourism enterprises will overcome the crisis with the Organization's support and take a step forward."
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