Gwangju Tourism Organization Launched... Leading the Realization of 'Exciting Gwangju'

Announcement of the Strategy to Achieve 30 Million Urban Population Usage by 2026

The Gwangju Metropolitan City Tourism Corporation has been launched to realize an "Exciting Gwangju full of fun and vitality."

At the launch ceremony held on the 18th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, representatives from the tourism MICE industry, universities, related organizations, citizens, corporation employees, and their families attended.

Following this, a new management vision titled "An Integrated Tourism MICE Platform Creating Gwangju's Future Value" was presented, along with the announcement of three major management innovation strategies to realize the fun city of Gwangju.

The corporation judged that it has an unprecedented opportunity to transform the landscape of Gwangju tourism through projects such as the Eodeungsan Tourist Complex Development, the Y Project Yeongsangang 100-ri Trail, and the Southern Region Wide-area Tourism Development Project.

To achieve the realization of the 30 million urban population era in Gwangju by 2026, promoted by Gwangju City, twelve tasks across three major areas?structural innovation, tourism innovation, and management innovation?were introduced. Additionally, through organizational restructuring, business structure adjustment and diversification, and the establishment of a labor-management harmony culture, the corporation plans to stabilize the organization and build a self-sustaining management system and a virtuous cycle ecosystem for Gwangju tourism by 2026.

Moreover, by strengthening its functions and roles as the control tower of Gwangju tourism, the corporation is determined to fulfill its responsibilities to help Gwangju grow into a central tourism city in the southwestern region by expanding the regional tourism MICE ecosystem through business diversification and improving accommodation readiness.

Kang Gi-jung, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, said, “The Gwangju Tourism Corporation is not simply the merger of two organizations but has been reborn as a larger organization with infinite possibilities. It has been redesigned to be a sharper, more pointed organization like an awl, capable of breaking through anywhere as an integrated tourism MICE platform.” He added, “There is no city with a more amazing story than Gwangju, a city of culture, arts, sports, taste, style, and meaning. Based on this story, we must achieve the 30 million urban population and realize a fun Gwangju.”

Meanwhile, the congratulatory video shown during the launch ceremony attracted attention with messages from Kim Jang-sil, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, along with video messages from experts and citizens in fields such as culture, arts, gastronomy, digital content, and storytelling, as well as from Gwangju FC and Kia Tigers players, and famous entertainers including Jeon Hyun-moo, Park Na-rae, Lee Jang-woo, Yang Se-hyung, Jang Do-yeon, and families of corporation employees.

President Kim Jin-gang stated, “The Gwangju Metropolitan City Tourism Corporation, which will lead the next 100 years of Gwangju tourism, has launched with a new mindset and determined resolve.” He continued, “The two organizations that have worked for nearly 20 years in the fields of tourism and MICE industries in Gwangju have united, and we will do our best to surpass 30 million urban population by 2026 and leap forward as a leading tourism city in Northeast Asia.”

He added, “As the tourism control tower leading Gwangju’s development, we will strengthen our functions and roles and, through cooperation and communication across various regional sectors, the Gwangju Tourism Corporation will take the lead with all its members to realize an ‘Exciting Gwangju full of fun and vitality.’”