Seven Associations Including Seoul Tourism Association and Promising Startups to Consolidate Seoul Tourism Core Functions in One Place
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 29th, Seoul City held the opening ceremony of the ‘Seoul Tourism Plaza’ at the Samil Building in Gwancheol-dong, Jongno-gu, attended by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Kim In-ho, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, and others.
The ‘Seoul Tourism Plaza’ is a control tower that supports the qualitative growth and leap forward of Seoul’s tourism industry so that Seoul tourism, which has suffered unprecedented damage due to the prolonged global COVID-19 pandemic, can overcome the crisis and seize rapidly changing tourism trends.
It consolidates key institutions of Seoul tourism in one place, from tourism associations to overseas tourism offices and promising startups. Functions such as tourism policy implementation, corporate and industry support, and networking are also gathered together. It is established on nine floors (1st floor above ground, 4th to 11th floors) of the Samil Building in Gwancheol-dong, Jongno-gu, with a total exclusive area of 6,941㎡.
With the opening, seven tourism-related associations and organizations including the Seoul Tourism Association, Australia Tourism Office, and Korea PCO Association, as well as 15 promising tourism startups selected through a public contest, have completed moving in. Existing institutions that carry out Seoul’s tourism policies, such as the Seoul Tourism Foundation under Seoul City and the Seoul Tourism & MICE Enterprise Support Center, will also move in together.
Representative resident startups include ‘Imperfect,’ which develops and operates an augmented reality (AR)-based tourism platform; ‘Musicking,’ which provides a subscription service for Hallyu content; and ‘Modernhan,’ which operates a traditional culture experience platform including Hanbok. Separately from resident companies, the city has also selected 52 startups that can use shared spaces and corporate support programs within the ‘Seoul Tourism Plaza.’
Seoul City will provide these 67 startups with residency and shared spaces and will fully activate customized support programs for each company. Through consulting, they identify the necessary areas for each company and support commercialization, promotion and marketing, and investment attraction. Companies can shoot YouTube broadcasts or commercials at the online studio located in the ‘Seoul Tourism Plaza,’ and networking opportunities are provided with associations, organizations, and overseas tourism offices that have also moved in.
Seoul City aims for the ‘Seoul Tourism Plaza’ to ▲support the tourism industry facing crisis due to COVID-19 ▲strengthen governance through cooperation between major associations, institutions, and public-private partnerships ▲provide opportunities for citizens to enjoy tourism.
Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “The tourism trends in the post-COVID era will change to safety, local, and non-face-to-face digital. Seoul City is actively promoting support, recovery, and leap projects for Seoul tourism to preempt global tourism market demand earlier than any other city in the world,” adding, “The Seoul Tourism Plaza, opening today, will faithfully perform its role as a control tower to enable a leap to ‘New Seoul, New Tourism.’ We will do our best.”
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