Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Announces Call for 20 Barrier-Free 'Open Tourist Sites'... "Evaluating Feasibility and Commitment"

Business Presentation Held at Signature Tower on the 26th

Open tourist site stock photo. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 23rd that it will hold a contest for '2023 Open Tourist Destinations' targeting metropolitan and basic local governments in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization.

Open Tourist Destinations is a project initiated in 2015 to create an environment where vulnerable groups in tourism, such as people with disabilities, the elderly, families with infants and young children, and pregnant women, can travel comfortably.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization plan to select a total of 20 new sites after a month-long contest and evaluation in September. So far, a total of 112 sites have been selected. Among them, 92 sites have been completed, and the remaining 20 sites are currently under construction.

This contest has subdivided the evaluation items of the project plan and increased the score weight of the written evaluation to reflect the feasibility of the project plan and the local government's willingness to promote it.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization plan to select a total of 20 new locations after a public contest and review throughout September. Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

When selecting Open Tourist Destinations, each local government receives support for ▲ customized consultation for tourist sites ▲ construction and repair of infrastructure such as major tourist facilities, ramps, walkways, and usage/convenience facilities ▲ development of experiential tourism content tailored to different types of disabilities ▲ online and offline promotion based on secured routes ▲ 'Happiness Sharing Travel' for vulnerable groups ▲ and barrier-free awareness improvement education for tourism workers.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will also hold a project briefing session at 2 p.m. on the 26th at the Grape Lounge in Signature Tower, Jung-gu, Seoul. Only those who apply in advance can participate in the briefing session.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, "To strengthen the promotion of Open Tourist Destinations by local governments, we plan to actively support the advancement of the barrier-free tourism platform and the introduction of tourist buses equipped with wheelchair lifts so that Open Tourist Destinations can be developed into travel products."

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