'Seoul Downtown 6 Districts' Including Jongno and Jung-gu Unite to Overcome Regional Tourism Crisis

Jongno-gu, Jung-gu, Yongsan-gu, Seongbuk-gu, Seodaemun-gu, Mapo-gu and other six central districts of Seoul form the 'Seoul Downtown Tourism Council'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] The Seoul Downtown Tourism Council (Chairman Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu) held the "Seoul Downtown Tourism Council Second Half Regular Meeting" on the 23rd, signing a business agreement for sustainable tourism development and selecting lifestyle tourism attractions within the city center.

The "Seoul Downtown Tourism Council" is an organization formed to seek joint development plans through cooperation and solidarity among local governments for fair and sustainable tourism development in six central districts of Seoul: ▲Jongno-gu ▲Jung-gu ▲Yongsan-gu ▲Seongbuk-gu ▲Seodaemun-gu ▲Mapo-gu.

The council, initiated by Mayor Kim Young-jong’s proposal in September last year, was launched with the unanimous consent of the six district mayors. After working-level meetings led by deputy mayors of each district, the council finalized its regulations, functions, and terms of office.

Mayor Kim Young-jong of Jongno-gu was elected as the first chairman and is currently serving a one-year term.

In October, the council was officially converted into a statutory council under the Local Autonomy Act, with tourism department officials from each district holding regular meetings to actively promote joint cooperation projects.

The council jointly cooperates to ▲activate sustainable tourism that respects the lives and cultures of local residents ▲spread historical and cultural values through discovering linked tourism resources among downtown districts ▲promote local tourism by revitalizing lifestyle tourism content ▲improve systems through mutual cooperation with the central government and Seoul city ▲establish cooperative governance involving residents and the tourism industry.

This year, the council pursued projects such as ▲signing a fair tourism win-win agreement ▲producing a Seoul downtown tourism guide map introducing attractions, experiences, and food in the six central districts ▲proposing revisions to Seoul city tour bus routes reflecting the latest tourism trends ▲conducting basic research for developing Seoul downtown tourism content, thereby deriving the council’s vision, policy directions, and mid- to long-term tasks.

At this regular meeting, the six central districts signed the "Seoul Downtown Fair Tourism Win-Win Agreement" and selected "lifestyle tourism attractions where visitors can safely and healthily enjoy half-day trips within the city center," responding to the increase in short-distance travel demand.

The selected attractions include a total of 60 sites: ▲Bukaksan Open Trail, Inwangsan Footpath, Suseongdong Valley (all in Jongno-gu) ▲Seoullo 7017, Seosomun History Park, Deoksugung Palace and Jeongdong (Jung-gu) ▲Lee Bong-chang Historical Hall, Vietnam Quy Nhon Street, Haebangchon Road (Yongsan-gu) ▲Simujang, Bukjeong Village, Jeongneung, Uireung (Seongbuk-gu) ▲Hongjecheon Stream, Seodaemun Independence Park, Ansan Footpath (Seodaemun-gu) ▲Gyeongui Line Book Street, Metasequoia Road, Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery (Mapo-gu).

Recently, as health pursuit and nature-friendliness have become major factors in travel choices, the council selected attractions mainly consisting of walking trails where visitors can soothe their tired bodies and minds in places naturally blended with the daily life of the area.

In the post-COVID-19 era, safety has become a core element of tourism, and the role and value of lifestyle tourism enjoyed in everyday life are expected to increase.

Accordingly, the council aims to overcome difficult times through policy exploration for sustainable tourism and prepare for the time when the COVID-19 situation improves and tourist inflow becomes active.

In 2021, the council plans to cooperate and promote projects such as ▲producing a Seoul downtown tourism guide map through discovering linked tourism resources among downtown districts ▲establishing a barrier-free tourism environment where anyone can enjoy tourism activities without restrictions ▲holding a downtown tourism vision forum to overcome the crisis of the local tourism industry ▲creating a smart tourism infrastructure for a safe and convenient tourism environment.

Chairman Kim Young-jong said, “Due to COVID-19, we have all lost our ordinary daily lives and continue to give up many things. At times like this, it is important to unite and cooperate,” adding, “We will continuously cooperate to leverage the strengths of the six districts located in downtown Seoul and prepare solutions to overcome the current tourism industry crisis.”

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