Seoul City Announces '2022 Excellent Seoul Stay' Recruitment... Up to 2 Million KRW Support

20 '2022 Excellent Seoul Stay' Selected for Foreign Tourist City Guesthouse and Hanok Experience Businesses Registered as 'Seoul Stay'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation announced on the 16th that they have selected 20 outstanding accommodations registered under Seoul’s alternative lodging brand, ‘Seoul Stay,’ as the ‘2022 Excellent Seoul Stay’ and will provide support funds of up to 2 million KRW per business. The plan aims to strengthen the capabilities of the alternative lodging industry and provide high-quality tourism accommodation environments to visitors in preparation for the recovery of tourism demand in the endemic era.

The application targets are foreign tourist city guesthouses and hanok experience businesses registered with Seoul Stay, and applications can be submitted from the 17th until August 6th via the Seoul Stay website or the Seoul Tourism Foundation website. New registrations to Seoul Stay will be accepted until the application deadline, providing opportunities for alternative lodging accommodations not previously registered to apply.

The ‘2022 Excellent Seoul Stay’ will select the final 20 accommodations through a first-round document evaluation and a second-round on-site evaluation and comprehensive review. The final results will be announced on August 5th through the notice section of the Seoul Stay website. A panel of experts in each field will review submitted documents and visit the accommodations to evaluate facilities, hygiene and safety management, customer service, distinctiveness, industry contribution, and business commitment.

The selected excellent Seoul Stay accommodations must submit a budget usage plan, and expenditures approved in the plan can be made from August through the end of November. Upon submission of supporting documents (receipts, tax invoices, etc.) for the expenses incurred, reimbursement will be made up to a maximum of 2 million KRW based on the verified amount spent.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to support the alternative lodging industry in various ways by providing in-depth consulting and business briefings for Seoul Stay to enhance foreign tourists’ use of and satisfaction with alternative lodging.

Choi Kyung-joo, Director of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “As tourism demand is recovering in the endemic era, we aim to improve lodging environments and qualitatively strengthen operational capabilities so that the alternative lodging industry can prepare for the increase in inbound tourists.” He added, “We will select excellent Seoul Stay accommodations based on strict standards such as safety, facilities, and customer service, and promote the revitalization of the alternative lodging industry through more practical support.”

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