Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Selects 12 Regional Tourism Promotion Organizations Including Namhae and Tongyeong

A view of a pier in Tongyeong City.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 5th that it has finalized the selection of 12 Regional Tourism Promotion Organizations in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization.

Regional Tourism Promotion Organizations are corporations with tourism planning capabilities at the basic local government level. They form cooperative networks consisting of various members such as local residents, industry, and academia to address regional tourism issues and devise plans for tourism development.

The 12 selected regions are ▲Goyang-si, Gyeonggi ▲Namhae-gun, Gyeongnam ▲Tongyeong-si, Gyeongnam ▲Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk ▲Gwangyang-si, Jeonnam ▲Gangjin-gun, Jeonnam ▲Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk ▲Boryeong-si, Chungnam ▲Hongseong-gun, Chungnam ▲Danyang-gun, Chungbuk ▲Yeongdong-gun, Chungbuk ▲Jecheon-si, Chungbuk.

The selected Regional Tourism Promotion Organizations will sign a business agreement with the Korea Tourism Organization and receive a total of 250 million KRW in funding, including 150 million KRW from the national government and 100 million KRW from local governments. The Korea Tourism Organization will continue systematic support such as project development, consulting, and promotional marketing to foster these organizations.

The organizations selected this year are required to carry out projects to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For example, the Namhae-gun Tourism and Culture Foundation will establish safe travel guidelines for local tourism businesses and develop non-face-to-face travel content using Namhae-gun’s specialty products. The Tongyeong Hansan Battle Cultural Foundation will conduct quarantine education for lodging and dining establishments and designate safe businesses. The Gwangyang City Tourism Council plans to inspect and improve tourist site capacity through quarantine management personnel.

They will also develop differentiated tourism products by discovering representative local tourism resources. The Goyang City Tourism Convention Association plans to create tourism products using Goyang’s major cultural assets such as flowers and cat characters and develop distinctive tourist sites. The Yeongdong Festival Tourism Foundation will conduct winery experiences, Yeongdong Wine Tourism Week, and a one-month living program in Yeongdong, focusing on grapes, one of Yeongdong’s specialties. The Gangjin-gun Culture and Tourism Foundation will operate a poetry play based on a representative poet from Gangjin and offer rural experience products called FUSO (Feeling-Up Stress-Off). The Boryeong Festival Tourism Foundation will prepare a ‘Boryeong Healing Travel (Healing Tour)’ linking tourism resources such as mudflat experiences with food and lodging, and operate a travel welfare system that strengthens benefits for repeat visits. The Danyang-gun Tourism Council will operate the Danyang Ogo (5GO) Mission Tour, which bundles Danyang’s representative tourism resources to encourage extended stays.

Projects to enhance regional tourism competitiveness and convenience will also be promoted. The Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Bureau will establish the Gyeongju MICE Tourism Promotion Center to improve the capabilities and self-sustainability of local tourism businesses by providing management consulting, startup, and employment support. Happy Travel Sharing will nurture local tourism guides among residents to help tourists visiting Hongseong easily obtain travel information and expand private tourism information centers. The Gochang Culture and Tourism Foundation plans to expand tourists’ choices by preparing tourism discount coupons that include various businesses, not just tourist sites, and strengthen promotion of businesses within Gochang-gun.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official stated, “We will support Regional Tourism Promotion Organizations to become self-sustaining and directly create core local tourism content,” adding, “We expect to see many more fresh and attractive regional tourist destinations in the future.”