Preparing for Korea-China Tourism Resumption... Seoul City Signs 'Tourism Activation MOU' with China's Tencent

Seoul City-Tencent Sign MOU for Post-Corona Seoul Inbound Tourism Revitalization
Tencent Collaborates to Boost Seoul Tourism with 'Ilgiyu' Project Enjoying Seoul Travel on One Mobile Phone

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is partnering with Tencent, China’s largest IT company, to lay the groundwork for a resurgence as a ‘global tourist city.’

On the 18th at 10 a.m., Seoul announced that it will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tencent at the Seoul Tourism Plaza to pledge mutual cooperation in preparation for the resumption of Korea-China tourism after COVID-19. Through this agreement, Seoul and Tencent plan to jointly establish the foundation for smart Seoul tourism and create a turning point for attracting tourists in the future.

Tencent will build the ‘Yiji You (一机游) Seoul’ mobile app under the concept of ‘Enjoy Seoul travel with just one mobile phone,’ providing all necessary tourism information, tourism product purchases, reservations, and related services for traveling in Seoul. Additionally, Tencent will promote potential Chinese tourists through marketing efforts such as promotions using its subsidiary online travel agency (OTA) sites and support for influencer activities.

‘Yiji You,’ meaning ‘enjoy travel with one mobile phone,’ is a project developed and operated by ‘Tencent Culture & Tourism,’ a brand launched by Tencent Cloud & Smart Industry Business Group. It offers all the information needed when visiting overseas destinations, including tourism information, tourism product purchases and reservations, visa issuance, and tax refunds, aiming to enhance convenience for tourists.

Seoul is also actively cooperating with Tencent to capture the pent-up demand of Chinese tourists suppressed by COVID-19. Seoul plans to enhance the brand value of the global tourist city by posting premium Seoul tourism content reflecting the latest trends such as Hallyu, medical tourism, and Korean cuisine on ‘Yiji You Seoul.’ Furthermore, after the end of the pandemic, Seoul will implement special hospitality programs for Chinese tourists visiting through Tencent promotions and will also use Tencent’s overseas network to attract tourists from Japan, Southeast Asia, and other regions.

Moreover, Seoul will pursue mid- to long-term exchange and cooperation plans in preparation for the post-COVID era when Korea-China tourism resumes. It will promote exchange and cooperation with Shenzhen, a first-tier Chinese city and the location of Tencent’s headquarters, and develop premium tourism cooperation projects such as promoting exchanges between companies and schools in both regions, corporate incentive tourism, and mutual dispatch of school trip tourism.

Following the signing of the MOU, the Tencent delegation will hold a meeting with Seoul tourism startups based at the Seoul Tourism Plaza. At this meeting, they will discuss plans to nurture Seoul tourism startups using Tencent’s innovative cloud computing-based technology as well as future support measures.

Eight startups will participate in the meeting, including ‘Cashmelo,’ which provides mobile currency exchange services allowing real-time exchange and withdrawal locally via ATMs without overseas accounts; ‘Imperfect,’ an augmented reality (AR)-based platform that recommends hidden attractions and offers payment services by turning on the camera and scanning the surroundings; and ‘Nua,’ which uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide global travel maps targeting Chinese-speaking users.

Zhao Jiannan, Executive Vice President of Tencent Cloud, said, “Today, as the demand for safe and personalized smart tourism services grows, the recovery and development of the tourism industry through information and communication technology is Tencent’s goal,” adding, “We are confident in our ability to contribute to revitalizing inbound tourism to Seoul through this cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.”

Joo Yong-tae, Director of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “We hope this MOU will be the starting point for the era of smart Seoul tourism by combining Seoul’s unique attractive tourism content with Tencent’s innovative IT technology,” and added, “From now on, we will create a digital and smart tourism environment to capture the explosive tourism demand after the resumption of Korea-China tourism.”

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