The government plans to build a virtuous cycle of boosting domestic demand and creating jobs through reinvigorating the domestic tourism industry, which remains flat in sharp contrast to the explosive growth of Koreans who travel abroad.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) has come up with steps to give the domestic tourism industry a shot in the arm, including the designating of tourism weeks in May, September, and December to disperse an influx of tourists during the summer vacation period; a pilot government program to subsidize SME workers who leave for vacation; and the designation of three local autonomous bodies with excellent tourism potential to receive a maximum of 2.5 billion won for three years for exporting their tourism resources.

Rep. Kim Kwang-lim gives a speech at the monthly Culture 

and  Tourism Service Convergence forum meeting. 

(photos: courtesy of CTSF Secretariat, article by CS Oh) 

First MCST Vice Minister Cho Hyun-jae explained these and other steps to shore up the domestic tourism industry during a regular monthly meeting of the Culture and Tourism Service Convergence forum(CTSF).

Among some 50 people on hand at the monthly forum at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul on Feb. 2 were Rep. Kim Kwang-lim of the ruling Saenuri Party and concurrent co-chairman of the forum; MCST Vice Minister Cho; Hana Tours vice chairman and concurrent co-chairman of the forum Kwon Hee-suk; Lotte Hotel President Song Yong-duk, also a concurrent co-chairman of the forum; Kim Kil-jong, former president of Incheon Tourism Organization; MECI President Bannie Kim; Nam Seung-sup, an aide of Rep. Kim Kwang-lim; Park Jung-soo, chief of the Service Industry Research Division of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade; Byun Yang-gyun, head of the Macroeconomic Division at the Korea Economic Research Institute; Lee Jang-woo, president of Theall Medi Bio; Lee Jae-kyung, vice president of GKL; Lee Jin-suk, director in charge of tourism policy at the MCST; Choi Noh-suk, executive vice chairman of the Korea Tourism Association; and Han Kyung-ah, secretary general of the Visit Korea Committee.

Vice Minister Cho said his ministry plans to take steps to firm up and upgrade Korean tourism products, including the introduction of a new tourism brand slogan, tentatively dubbed “Imagination Korea.” The slogan will be introduced to replace the current catchphrase “Korea, Be Inspired,” given the ushering in of the hallyu (Korean Wave) 3.0 era and attracting more than 12 million foreign inbound tourists in 2013. 

Under the new tourism catchphrase, Korea aims at luring 16 million foreign inbound tourists and netting $24 billion in tourism revenues in 2017 to rank among the top 15 countries in terms of travel & tourism competitiveness according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The CTSF was established in 2013 to expand the scope of the tourism industry by combining it with other industries. Scores of industry people, researchers, and policymakers from industry, research, and government circles participate in the forum to create an environment to collaborate through human networking. 

Among the major 2014 tasks the forum will implement during this year are the firming up of breakfast meeting; the establishment and operation of regional consultative bodies to reinvigorate regional tourism industries; the hosting of a regular seminar inviting foreign experts and firms in the hospitality and tourism service sectors; and the holding of an idea contest on the expansion of the tourism industry through convergence with other industries..