Korea Tourism Organization Provides 24-Hour Tourist Information via 'Text Chat'

Multilateral Chat Sessions with Local Government Tourism Guides Planned for the First Half of the Year

Example of the "Tourist Interpretation Guide Call 1330" Text Chat Service.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] The Korea Tourism Organization announced that it will introduce a text chat function to the 'Tourist Interpretation and Information Service 1330,' which provides 24-hour domestic tourism information by phone, starting from the 9th.

This text chat tourism information service was introduced in line with the trend where communication through text is gradually becoming mainstream rather than voice. Like the existing phone service, it operates 24 hours a day, year-round. It is provided in a total of five languages: Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). Consultations via text chat can share images or URLs in real time. Another advantage is that there is no need to record the received service content. Additionally, hearing-impaired individuals, who were previously excluded from the phone-only service, can now receive real-time tourism information.

This service can be accessed by clicking the 'Travel Consultation' icon on the ‘Korea Tour’ mobile app and website. It can also be connected by searching for ‘1330 Tourist Information’ on KakaoTalk. Foreigners can use the Korea Tourism Organization’s foreign language app ‘VisitKorea’ as well as Line and Facebook Messenger.

With the availability of the text chat service, it is expected that more on-site tourism information services will be provided. The Korea Tourism Organization is preparing a service where local tourism information center guides can directly participate in multi-person chats in collaboration with local governments nationwide. This service aims to launch within the first half of this year.

Jung Chang-wook, Director of the Tourism Industry Office at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "We introduced this function because of the convenience for people who are becoming more accustomed to text communication and the advantages unique to text chat, such as preserving consultation records. If users obtain specialized local information through professional counselors and check their planned destinations and travel schedules, they will be able to enjoy a more satisfying trip."

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