"Community-Led Tourism"... Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Calls for 15 Promotion Organizations

Applications accepted until the 10th, up to 250 million KRW support per site

Namhae German Village Beer Festival site. Photo by Namhae-gun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 5th that they will be calling for applications for 'Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)' to lead future regional tourism.

Now in its fourth year, the 'Destination Marketing Organization Development Project' supports local tourism industries, associations, and residents in gathering opinions from regional members to address tourism issues and strengthen tourism responsiveness. Fifteen organizations will be selected, with up to 250 million KRW provided per organization.

In particular, to ensure that selected organizations can secure the maximum practical project period, this year's application period was moved up by about two months compared to last year. After the first document screening and the second presentation review, the final results are scheduled to be announced at the end of February.

Destination Marketing Organizations have actively contributed by eradicating single-use items during the Namhae German Village Beer Festival and hosting eco-friendly, waste-free festivals, building platforms to realize inclusive tourism in Busan, and developing regional tourism products for socially vulnerable groups.

In the Gangwon region, they have been recognized for contributing to sustainable regional tourism growth by jointly conducting campaign projects to respond to issues such as overcoming wildfires along the East Coast.

The call for applications will be held from the 1st to the 10th of next month. Applications will be accepted via email or registered mail to the Korea Tourism Organization's Regional Tourism Development Team. The call is divided into two stages based on participation history: Stage 1 (new or first-time participants) and Stage 2 (organizations participating two or more times). A total of 15 organizations will be selected, with 12 in Stage 1 and 3 in Stage 2.

Recently, with the rising crisis of regional extinction, the project plans to proactively address this issue by mandating the inclusion of projects aimed at 'increasing the influx of resident populations within the region.' Additionally, joint collaborative projects among multiple Destination Marketing Organizations will be supported to discover and promote projects requiring metropolitan-level coordination beyond individual projects.

Selected Destination Marketing Organizations will receive up to 250 million KRW per organization (Stage 1: 150 million KRW national funding + 100 million KRW local funding; Stage 2: 100 million KRW national funding + 100 million KRW local funding).

Support will continue up to the fifth year through separate evaluations. From the third year onward, organizations must secure at least 10 million KRW in self-funded project expenses, separate from local funding, to ensure self-sustainability.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official stated, "Destination Marketing Organizations have greatly contributed to establishing a virtuous cycle of regional development by promoting tourism projects reflecting local characteristics led by residents and the region." They added, "We expect that Destination Marketing Organizations with expertise and sustainability will continue to collaborate with local stakeholders to resolve regional tourism issues and enhance the value of regional tourism brands."