A family travel image illustrating regional tourism promotion [Korail]
A family travel image illustrating regional tourism promotion [Korail]

The Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have launched a Regional Tourism Policy Council.

The "Korea Tourism Star" program, previously led by the Culture Ministry alone, has been expanded this year and will now be jointly run by both ministries.

According to the government Friday, the council will handle regional tourism innovation agenda items aimed at revitalizing local economies, with director-general-level officials from both ministries serving as co-chairs.

At its inaugural meeting Thursday, the two ministries discussed key areas of cooperation: a resident-participatory tourism saemaul movement, activation of a digital tourism resident card to expand tourism-linked population ties, support for tourism projects connected to the social solidarity economy, and measures to strengthen collaboration between local public institutions and the Korea Tourism Organization.

The council plans to continuously identify ways to link regional tourism policy with efforts to address local population decline.

As the first pilot project under the new partnership, a Regional Tourism Innovation Ideas Competition will be held in the second half of this year.

The competition, to be held under the name "Korea Tourism Rising Star," is expected to give newly elected local governments under the ninth round of local elections an opportunity to develop differentiated tourism policies and content reflecting each region's distinct character, injecting fresh vitality into local economies.

Song Gyeong-ju, director general of the Ministry of Interior and Safety's Local Finance and Economy Bureau, said regional tourism — which draws visitors directly to local areas — is "a highly effective tool for stimulating consumption and revitalizing local economies." He added that both ministries would "actively cooperate on regional tourism promotion policies so that local governments' creative and outstanding tourism initiatives, tailored to regional characteristics, can make their areas destinations that tourists seek out first."


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