From Hotels to Guesthouses and Traditional Houses, Find Reliable Accommodations... Just Check the 'KQ Certification'

Korea Tourism Quality Certification System
Nationally Certified Program Introducing Tourism Businesses
Passing Facility, Service, Safety, and Hygiene Evaluations
461 Selected Businesses Awarded KQ Certification

Service Monitoring for 3 Years Validity
Support for Online and Offline Promotion and Quarantine Services

'Venetia Hotel & Resort' located in Sujeong-dong, Yeosu City, which is rated Premier grade in the 'Korea Tourism Quality Certification (KQ)' selected by the Korea Tourism Organization. (Photo by Korea Tourism Organization)

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] Park Cheol-min (57, pseudonym), who is planning a healing trip with his family for a rare summer vacation, searched for accommodations near the travel destination on an internet portal. Hundreds of reviews from influencers on social networking services (SNS) such as blogs appeared. Since they claimed to be ‘Naedonnaesan’ (bought with my own money), he checked them out, but most were promotional posts disguised as reviews. Even after installing accommodation apps and checking ratings and reviews, they seemed like so-called ‘comment part-timers,’ making it hard to trust them.

This is a common dilemma everyone faces when searching for accommodations at travel destinations. Nowadays, accommodations hold more value than just a place to sleep and recover from travel fatigue. With trends like ‘hokangseu’ (hotel + vacation), ‘supkangseu’ (forest + vacation), and ‘honpen’ (solo pension), travel is no longer just for the destination but also for the accommodation itself. Since the quality of a vacation depends greatly on where you stay, choosing accommodations is quite a challenging task.

To ease these concerns, the government has established a system. It is the Korea Tourism Quality Certification System (KQ: Korea Quality) by the Korea Tourism Organization. This is a nationally certified system that provides tourists with information on tourism businesses that have passed strict service quality evaluations. The Tourism Organization has been implementing this since 2018 under the Tourism Promotion Act, commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. As of the 11th of this month, 461 businesses across four sectors?accommodation, hanok (traditional Korean house) experience businesses, foreign tourist city guesthouses, and duty-free shops for foreign tourists?have received KQ certification. The certification will soon be introduced in the restaurant sector as well.

'Chilboam' accommodation operated by 24 Guesthouse Gyeongbokgung Branch located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, certified for Korea Tourism Quality. (Photo by Korea Tourism Organization)

Currently, 65 businesses in Seoul maintain KQ certification. The 24 Guesthouse Gyeongbokgung Branch located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, obtained KQ certification last year for four hanok-style accommodations named ‘Yeonghuidang,’ ‘Samhyeonggul,’ ‘Obokheon,’ and ‘Chilboam.’ When building the hanoks, Korean red pine (jeoksong) was used as the material. The pillars, rafters, floors, doors, and roof tiles all faithfully reproduce the traditional hanok appearance, which received high praise. The company’s representative said, "Since obtaining the KQ certification, it has greatly helped our business," adding, "Along with consulting, we also received disinfection services this summer."

The validity period of the KQ certification is three years. During this period, certified businesses receive quality management support such as service monitoring and education provided by the Tourism Organization, fire and hygiene inspection consulting, and online and offline promotion and sales support to increase revenue. Disinfection services are also provided to prevent COVID-19 infection. Additionally, businesses can borrow from the ‘Tourism Promotion Development Fund’ at a preferential interest rate up to 1.25% below the base rate.

Travelers can browse KQ-certified businesses and service statuses through the ‘Korea Tourism Quality Certification’ page on the ‘Korea Travel Easy’ website. More carefully selected KQ-certified businesses can be found in the booklet ‘Traveler’s Room 1 & 2’ published by the Tourism Organization. This booklet includes various accommodation types such as hotels, guesthouses, and traditional houses, as well as themed recommendations like places to introduce to foreign friends, spots ideal for loved ones, and locations suitable for train travelers.

The Tourism Organization has been accepting applications for businesses seeking new KQ certification this year from June 15 until the end of this month. Businesses wishing to obtain certification must apply through the Korea Tourism Quality Certification website. Certification decisions are made after document evaluation and first and second rounds of on-site inspections. During the on-site inspections, two experts in tourism and certification visit the applicant’s business to check facilities, services, staff professionalism, and safety management. Accommodation and hanok experience businesses that score 90% or higher in total during the first and second on-site inspections are granted ‘Premier’ grade status.

Shim Hye-ryeon, head of the Tourism Certification Center at the Tourism Organization, explained, "This year, considering the COVID-19 situation, we strengthened evaluation indicators in hygiene and safety fields," adding, "Business owners need to pay special attention to these areas."