Tourism Corporation "Attracting 30 Million Foreign Tourists by 2027... Launching 30 Public Contest Projects"

2023 Business Plan Briefing Session Held
Promotion of 30 Public Projects and 40 Core Projects

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 17th that it will hold a 2023 business plan briefing session and intensify efforts to lay the foundation for the successful attraction of 30 million foreign tourists by 2027.

At the business briefing held at the Western Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, the organization shared this year's public projects, core projects, and overseas branch projects with local governments, regional tourism organizations, the tourism industry, and tourism venture companies. This briefing was held face-to-face for the first time in four years due to COVID-19.

2023 Korea Tourism Organization Business Plan Presentation Site. [Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

In the morning, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism explained the 2023 budget allocation for the tourism sector. Presentations on business plans by the headquarters of the Tourism Organization and introductions to the main business directions of regional tourism organizations were also conducted. In the afternoon, the briefing included presentations on the overseas branch business plans, followed by business meetings and networking between participating organizations and tourism industry practitioners to explore practical collaborative projects.

At the briefing, the organization introduced 30 public projects and 40 core projects planned for this year.

The public projects include the "Smart Tourism City Development Project," which combines technology and tourism, and a tourism venture business contest to discover innovative startups in the tourism sector. Specific projects such as the "K-Tourism International Roadshow" aimed at attracting overseas tourists were also disclosed.

To secure overseas travel demand worldwide in the post-COVID-19 era, various Korean tourism reconstruction projects to be promoted mainly through the network of 32 overseas branches after the proclamation of the "2023-2024 Visit Korea Year" were also introduced in detail.

To meet the travel demand of citizens in the endemic era, the organization will carry out the "Travel Month Campaign." To address the issue of regional population decline through tourism, efforts to discover and commercialize region-specific content and expand the digital tourism resident card project will also be promoted.

The organization supports digital transformation consulting funds for travel agencies to participate in the digital acceleration trend. To actively assist tourism companies wishing to expand overseas, additional tourism company support centers will be opened in overseas hub cities.

Furthermore, through the "Korea Tourism Industry Portal," all information, possible collaborations, and data related to the tourism industry will be connected to expand the tourism ecosystem. For the convenience of general travelers, the overseas online promotional website VisitKorea will be integrated and operated.

Kim Jang-sil, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, "2023 is a year to promote a new leap in the tourism sector, and we are preparing a large-scale inbound campaign to mark the '2023-2024 Visit Korea Year.'" He added, "Through this campaign, not only the organization but also local governments and the private sector will collaborate to provide tourists with diverse experiential content." President Kim emphasized, "This will lay the cornerstone for successfully attracting 30 million foreign tourists by 2027."

Earlier, on the 12th of last month, the government approved the "6th Basic Plan for Tourism Promotion (2023-2027)" at the 7th National Tourism Strategy Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, which includes attracting 30 million foreign tourists and achieving tourism revenue of 30 billion dollars by 2027.