Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has established operational standards for systematically addressing overcrowding at tourist destinations.
KTO announced on the 13th that it has published the "Sustainable Tourist Site Congestion Operation and Management Manual" to enable advance prediction and on-site response to tourist site congestion. The practical guide covers the entire process from advance preparation to on-site response and post-event evaluation, allowing local governments and related agencies to systematically manage tourist site congestion.
The manual is structured around a three-stage management system: planning and design, operation and response, and evaluation and feedback. The planning and design stage presents site investigation and type classification, key performance indicator (KPI) establishment, advance congestion prediction, and real-time monitoring system construction.
The operation and response stage contains on-site response procedures and situation-specific countermeasures, including operational staff training, situation room operation, warning system activation, and tourist safety management. The evaluation and feedback stage presents post-management procedures such as result analysis, performance evaluation, and improvement plan establishment.
The manual notably incorporates an "integrated congestion analysis system" linking advance prediction, real-time analysis, and video analysis models. Practical materials including KPI examples, response scenarios, agency-specific roles, and on-site checklists are also included for field application.
The manual is available on the Korea Tourism Data Lab.
"This manual is a practical guide that organizes the entire process of tourist site congestion management for field reference," said Lee Ji-eun, head of KTO's Tourism Consulting Team. "Through a data-based management system, it will help create a sustainable tourism environment where tourists and local residents can coexist."
