The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will operate a joint consultative body to revitalize local economies through regional tourism. As their first collaborative project, they will hold a competition in the second half of this year to uncover local governments' tourism policies and content.
The two ministries said they held the first meeting of the "Regional Tourism Policy Council" at the Government Complex Sejong on the 16th. The council, co-chaired by director-general-level officials from both ministries, discusses ways to link regional tourism with policies addressing regional extinction.
At the first meeting, participants discussed a "Tourism New Village Movement" in which residents take part in tourism projects, the promotion of digital tourism resident cards, support for tourism projects linked to the social solidarity economy, and expanded collaboration between local public institutions and the Korea Tourism Organization.
The two ministries will hold the "Regional Tourism Innovation Idea Competition" in the second half of this year as their first pilot project. Under the format, local governments of the ninth popularly elected term propose tourism policies and content reflecting regional characteristics.
The competition will be pursued under the name "Rising Stars of Korean Tourism." The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will expand and reorganize the "Stars of Korean Tourism," through which it has selected individuals and organizations contributing to the development of outstanding tourism resources and the tourism industry since 2010, and operate it jointly with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
"The two ministries will cooperate so that we can uncover local governments' outstanding tourism measures that reflect regional characteristics," said Song Kyung-joo, director-general of the Interior Ministry's Local Fiscal and Economic Affairs Office. "The Culture Ministry and the Interior Ministry will collaborate to produce results that can be felt on the ground in the regions," said Kang Jung-won, director-general of the Culture Ministry's Tourism Policy Office.
