World Tourism Organization Selects Korea's 'Yeollin Tourist Sites' as Exemplary Cases of Inclusive Tourism

Daecheon Beach in Boryeong-si, Chungnam, selected as an open tourist destination in 2016.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 16th that the Open Tourism Site project, jointly conducted with the Korea Tourism Organization, has been selected as an "Inclusive Tourism Destination" best practice by the World Tourism Organization.

Since July last year, the World Tourism Organization selected 12 preliminary best practices through a call for inclusive tourism destination cases, based on criteria such as public-private cooperation, enhancement of professional capabilities, feasibility of barrier-free implementation, sustainability, and potential for spreading project outcomes. Subsequently, through workshops and presentations at the FITUR special session at the World Tourism Fair until last month, 11 final best practices worldwide, including Korea's Open Tourism Site project, were selected. A related report was also recently published. By continent, there were 8 from Europe (3 countries), 1 from Asia, 1 from Latin America, and 1 multinational corporation, with Korea's Open Tourism Site being the only one from Asia included.

The World Tourism Organization, an international tourism organization under the United Nations (UN), has 156 member countries worldwide and 546 supporting members including national tourism organizations, tourism research institutes, and tourism companies. Since 2007, following the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the World Tourism Organization has been promoting awareness and publicity activities for inclusive tourism. Since 2017, it has launched an inclusive tourism research group to discover best practices and explore ways to expand them globally.

Launched in 2015, the Open Tourism Site project removes physical barriers through the renovation and repair of tourism facilities to ensure that mobility-vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, families with infants and young children, and pregnant women can use the sites. It also creates a barrier-free tourism environment by improving guidance systems and human service environments. Currently, 92 tourism sites nationwide have been selected as Open Tourism Sites. Visitor satisfaction has been steadily increasing.

Meanwhile, the call for applications for the 2022 Open Tourism Site selection is ongoing until July 30, and more than 100 sites nationwide are expected to be completed by next year.

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