KOICA-Korea Tourism Organization Sign MOU for Development Cooperation Projects in Tourism Sector

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA has decided to join forces with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to train personnel and engage in domestic social contribution activities for the effective implementation of development cooperation projects in the tourism sector.

On the afternoon of the 28th, KOICA and KTO signed a memorandum of understanding at the KOICA headquarters in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, to strengthen collaboration between the two organizations in development cooperation projects in the tourism industry, which is being called for new changes in the post-COVID-19 era. The signing ceremony was attended only by key officials, including Im Ki-young, Chairperson of KOICA, and Ahn Young-bae, President of KTO, in compliance with government social distancing guidelines.

Through this agreement, KOICA and KTO plan to promote △ activation of dispatching KOICA overseas volunteers in the tourism sector △ capacity-building education in tourism for KOICA overseas volunteers △ domestic social contribution activities by returning volunteers. Considering the global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the two organizations will coordinate the timing and detailed contents of their collaboration through consultations.

KOICA has been implementing various Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects to revitalize the tourism industry in developing countries through overseas volunteer dispatch projects such as building eco-tourism infrastructure in Mongolia and producing tourism digital content in Vietnam. Meanwhile, KTO has also been expanding its tourism ODA projects since 2013 to meet the growing demand in the tourism sector.

Im Ki-young, Chairperson of KOICA, said, “Sustainable tourism can contribute to increasing income in relatively underdeveloped local communities in developing countries and raise awareness of environmental protection, thereby contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” She added, “In particular, it is a field where we can fully leverage our strengths, such as supporting the production of online tourism content in line with the recent trend of digital transformation.”

Ahn Young-bae, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, “The mid- to long-term collaboration between KOICA, Korea’s leading development cooperation agency, and KTO is expected not only to enhance Korea’s national brand image as a tourism advanced country worldwide but also to serve as a foothold for the overseas expansion of the tourism industry and create jobs.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.