'Work and Vacation at the Same Time' Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Supports Participation Fees for 1,500 Workation Participants

Seeking Activation Through the 'Workation Activation Seminar'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 2nd that it held a 'Workation Activation Seminar' for local government officials at the Incheon Ponae Fishing Village Experience and Recreation Village.

Workation program site in the Namhae area. [Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

The seminar was attended by officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, local governments, and regional tourism organizations to share domestic and international cases of remote work at vacation destinations, discuss ways to expand participation in remote work at vacation spots, and deliberate on future project directions.

The remote work at vacation destinations projects have been promoted separately by each local government until now. The Ministry explained that this seminar was the first event where officials gathered in one place to discuss development plans together.

Busan opened a remote work hub center near Busan Station at the Asti Hotel in February. Jeonbuk introduced products including the 'Jeonbuk Tour Pass 72-hour ticket,' and Gyeongbuk launched family-oriented packages.

Earlier, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been promoting a pilot project for remote work at vacation destinations since August 29. It plans to support participation fees for approximately 1,500 people on a first-come, first-served basis until the 30th of this month and offer 20 specialized programs across 16 regions nationwide.

Companies, institutions, and sole proprietors wishing to participate can apply through the 'Korea Travel Online' Workation theme section. Employees of small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies can receive additional participation fee support from IBK Industrial Bank.

Park Jong-taek, Director of the Tourism Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Starting next year, we will newly allocate budgets for local government support projects for remote work at vacation destinations, systematically support campaigns to activate remote work at vacation spots, integrated promotions to attract digital nomads, and help remote work at vacation destinations establish itself as a new regional growth industry."

He added, "If ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) elements such as community contribution activities are incorporated into remote work programs at vacation destinations, it will become a stay-type tourism product where companies, workers, and local communities can coexist and prosper."

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