Dongseo University, GOOT, and Korea Tourism Startup Association Sign Three-Party MOU

Building a Sustainable Local Tourism Ecosystem... A New Leap Forward

Dongseo University (President Jang Je-guk) recently signed a three-party memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GOOT (Sustainable Regional Tourism Content Association, Chairperson Na Hyo-woo) and the Korea Tourism Startup Association (President Bae Sang-min) during the '2025 Busan Tourism Content Activation Forum' held in Yeongdo-gu, Busan. Through this agreement, the parties have launched full-scale cooperation to build a sustainable local tourism ecosystem and foster young talent.

Inaugural General Meeting of the Regional Tourism Content Association. Provided by Dongseo University

This event was organized under the theme "Our New Decade, We Make the Road by Walking," aiming to reconstruct a tourism content ecosystem centered on local communities in the face of structural challenges such as rapid population decline and the risk of regional extinction. The goal was to find solutions for future generations and local communities to grow together.

The theme was inspired by a conversation between American educational activist Myles Horton and Brazilian educational philosopher Paulo Freire, embodying the meaning of collaborative transformation through 'dialogue' to jointly design the future.

The two-day program was conducted as part of Dongseo University's RISE (Regional Innovation-centered University Support System) project, 'Employment School.' About 20 tourism major students participated in the 'Local Enterprise-linked Mentoring Experience Program,' which involved more than 50 domestic and international local tourism companies (such as Chorokbaenang and Pinkroader) and fair travel experts. On the first day, the forum provided insights into the tourism content ecosystem, entrepreneurship, and social capital. On the second day, participants toured Yeongdo, Gadeokdo, Dadaepo, and Suyeongseong to experience planning local fair travel products.

GOOT (Sustainable Tourism Content Association) is a nonprofit collaborative network formed by more than 50 fair travel agencies and social tourism organizations nationwide. Its goal is to create value chains between regions based on tourism content rooted in local communities and to promote sustainable growth in small and medium-sized cities. Through its inaugural general meeting, the association was officially launched, announced the first board of directors, and declared the 'Our Decade Manifesto,' outlining its future direction.

The Korea Tourism Startup Association (KOTSA) is a nationwide association established to foster the tourism startup ecosystem and promote entrepreneurship in South Korea. It represents the interests of innovative startups in the tourism industry and leads the creation of an innovative ecosystem through policy development, investment linkage, and startup support programs.

With the signing of the three-party MOU between Dongseo University, GOOT, and the Korea Tourism Startup Association at the forum, the parties pledged close cooperation on the following: ▲ building a sustainable local tourism ecosystem ▲ supporting regional tourism startups and youth education ▲ conducting collaborative research and developing policies to address the challenges of regions at risk of extinction.

A representative from GOOT stated, "Collaboration with local universities like Dongseo University is a key partnership for sustainable tourism. In an era where tourism starts and is completed within the region, GOOT will fulfill its role as a platform that walks together with future generations."

Park Changhwan, a professor in Dongseo University's Department of Tourism Management and Convention, commented, "This program is a practical model of industry-academia cooperation, directly connecting local tourism companies and students to explore the industrial value and challenges of the region. I believe it is a symbolic attempt for the university to function not just as an educational institution, but as a platform that solves local problems and designs the future together. In particular, the significance of this program lies in providing students with concrete experiences to become 'settlement-type tourism professionals' who grow together with the region."