본문 바로가기
bar_progress

Text Size

Close

'Pet-Friendly Tourism City' Contest... Up to 250 Million KRW Support

Support for Developing Pet-Friendly Travel Content and Improving Accommodation Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 1st that they are accepting applications for the 'Pet-Friendly Tourism City' until March 21.

'Pet-Friendly Tourism City' Contest... Up to 250 Million KRW Support The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization are launching a contest for pet-friendly tourism cities.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

A ‘Pet-Friendly Tourism City’ refers to a city where pet owners can freely engage in tourism activities such as accommodation, tourism experiences, dining, and shopping by utilizing various tourism resources in the area together with their pets.


According to the ‘2022 Survey on Traveling with Pets’ released by the Korea Tourism Organization last year, 74.4% of pet owners responded that they intend to travel with their dogs in the future. However, difficulties such as ‘lack of pet-friendly accommodations’ (55%), ‘lack of pet-friendly restaurants/cafes’ (49.5%), and ‘lack of tourist attractions’ (42.3%) were reported. Therefore, there is a need to improve and expand programs to meet the demand of the pet owner population.


The Pet-Friendly Tourism City project is being launched for the first time this year to revitalize the local economy through pet-friendly travel. One ‘metropolitan type’ and one ‘basic type’ local government will be selected, and support will be provided for up to four years, including discovering pet-friendly travel content and improving accommodation readiness.


The ‘metropolitan type’ targets special/metropolitan/special self-governing cities and special cities with special status, while the ‘basic type’ targets basic local governments (cities and counties). One location will be selected for each type as a basic plan, but if there is no suitable area, two locations may be selected in one category. The support budget is 250 million KRW each (with a 1:1 local government cost-sharing), and support will be provided for up to four years (2023?2026) through annual mid-term evaluations.


Selected areas will receive support for expanding content such as discovering pet-friendly tourist spots and developing pet-friendly experience programs, as well as consulting and expert advice to improve the environment for traveling with pets.


Joo Sang-geon, head of the Leisure Tourism Team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, “We expect that the ‘Pet-Friendly Tourism City’ project, launched for the first time this year, will contribute not only to fostering a culture of traveling with pets but also to revitalizing the local economy and developing the pet tourism industry.”


© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.

Special Coverage


Join us on social!

Top