Park Sung-hyuk, the new chief executive of Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), unveiled an ambitious plan to attract 30 million foreign tourists to South Korea by 2028—two years earlier than the government's official target of 2030.
"This is by no means an easy goal, but there are positive conditions we can leverage immediately, such as the K-content boom and the weak won," Park said at his first press conference since taking office, held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on Wednesday. "By capitalizing on these factors, we can achieve 30 million foreign visitors not in 2030 but in 2028."
Park added that he has already presented this target to Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young.
Attracting 30 million foreign tourists annually is a symbolic goal for the Korean government in its quest to become a tourism powerhouse. The government has set this target as a national agenda item to be achieved by 2030. According to KTO, 18.94 million foreign tourists visited Korea last year, meaning an additional 11 million annual visitors must be attracted within four years to reach the 30 million mark.
This year's target is 22 million foreign visitors, which would mark the first time Korea surpasses the 20 million threshold. Park expressed confidence in achieving this milestone, citing a surge in Chinese cruise arrivals.
"The number of cruise voyages from China increased from 7 last year to about 60 this year," Park said. "This alone is expected to bring in 450,000 to 500,000 additional foreign tourists. Considering various other growth trends, I believe we can achieve the 22 million target this year."
His roadmap calls for 26 million visitors by 2027, followed by 30 million in 2028.
To accelerate toward these targets, Park plans to strengthen global marketing in Europe and the United States while actively deploying artificial intelligence in tourism product development.
"We are now in an era of unlimited global competition in tourism development, competing with China, Southeast Asia, and Japan," Park said. "What determines whether we can grow into a tourism powerhouse in this competitive landscape is ultimately global marketing."
Park, who assumed office in January, brings three decades of marketing expertise from his tenure at Cheil Worldwide, Samsung Group's advertising arm, where he served as executive vice president and head of global operations. His career included leadership positions as head of the German office, European regional director, and North American regional director—regions that align with the government's priority markets for tourist attraction.
"I will fully leverage the marketing know-how I've accumulated over more than 30 years in global markets for the future of our tourism industry," Park said.
Park also emphasized a shift in how KTO engages with partners, elevating discussions to global headquarters rather than local subsidiaries.
"While working with Korean branches of global online travel agencies or hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott has its merits, I will not hesitate to negotiate at the global headquarters level when issues can be resolved on a larger scale," he said. "We will pursue bold partnerships, including direct product development with global inbound travel agencies."
Park outlined plans to expand regional tourism content development to disperse demand currently concentrated in Seoul. AI will be applied to analyze visitor demand by age group and reputation analysis, significantly expanding both the variety and number of tourism products developed.
To enhance AI utilization, KTO will integrate various data platforms—including Go Camping, the 1330 tourist hotline, Durunubi, and Korea's Hidden Gems—into its existing "Visit Korea" data platform.
Park repeatedly emphasized that AI adoption represents an opportunity for the tourism industry.
"Travel is an industry of experiences," Park said. "Even with the advent of the AI era, experiences cannot be replaced, and tourism will develop further on the foundation of AI."
He added: "Tourism will enjoy a renaissance in the AI era. Just as tourism is Japan's second-largest foreign currency earner after automobiles, I will do my utmost to make it one of the top three industries in Korea."
Park also presented plans to expand the "National Vacation Support Package." This includes a pilot program called "Regional Love Vacation," which refunds half of travel expenses for visits to 20 agricultural and fishing villages in depopulating areas. The worker vacation support program will also incorporate regional love gift certificates.
The digital tourism resident ID program will be expanded to more regions and participating businesses, with a dedicated website and app to be developed. Additionally, KTO will launch a new "Thematic Attraction Discovery Project" to identify notable destinations nationwide.
"This year will be a year of transition where we create data-driven execution and results that are felt in the field, so that tourism can establish itself as a new growth engine for the Korean economy," Park said.
