"K-Content's Soaring Popularity Should Be Leveraged to Boost Tourism"

Laying the Groundwork for Revitalizing Regional Tourism by Learning from Japan
Tourism Demand Shifting from Sightseeing to Long-Term Stays
Gyeongju APEC Summit to Become a Major Turning Point for Discovering Regional Content

With the global popularity of "K-Culture," including content and food, there has been a significant increase in demand for experiencing the Korean lifestyle. In this context, experts have suggested that this trend should be leveraged as an opportunity to revitalize regional tourism.

Participants of the 'Service Industry Competitiveness Enhancement Task Force' are taking a commemorative photo at the FKI Tower Conference Center in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 2nd. Korea Economic Association

The Korea Economic Association announced that it held the first meeting of the "Service Industry Competitiveness Enhancement Task Force" on October 2 at the FKI Tower Conference Center in Yeouido, Seoul, presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yooncheol. The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Koo, Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Daehyun, First Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sinhak, and representatives from major economic organizations.

The Korea Economic Association evaluated that the spread of "day-cation" will serve as a key catalyst for revitalizing regional tourism and increasing the rate of repeat visits to Korea. The global success of K-content such as "Parasite," "Squid Game," and "K-Pop Demon Hunters," as well as the rising popularity of K-food and K-beauty, have led to growing demand for experiencing Korean culture. As a result, tourism demand is shifting from short-term visits focused on sightseeing to longer stays, such as "living in Korea for a month."

The core tasks for revitalizing regional tourism were identified as discovering "regional content" and enhancing accessibility. The case of Japan, which successfully diversified its tourism industry by integrating regional content with transportation networks, was cited as a meaningful example.

Ryu Jin, chairman of the Korea Economic Association, is delivering a greeting at the 'Service Industry Competitiveness Enhancement Task Force' held at the FKI Tower Conference Center in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 2nd. On this day, the Korea Economic Association submitted a total of 33 policy tasks to the government to revitalize domestic tourism. Korea Economic Association

In particular, some participants noted that this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, to be held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, will serve as a valuable opportunity. The Korea Economic Association emphasized that this APEC event should be used as a turning point to strengthen regional content and transportation infrastructure, as well as to promote sustainable, long-term stay tourism.

Additionally, the Korea Economic Association proposed 33 policy tasks across four major areas: expanding the scope of the tourism industry, improving secondary transportation networks for regional tourist destinations, strengthening cooperation with global over-the-top (OTT) platforms, and rationalizing regulations on shared accommodations.

Ryu Jin, chairman of the Korea Economic Association, who hosted the meeting as the secretariat, stated, "Ten years ago, Japan was in a situation similar to ours, but with strong government policy support and regional revitalization initiatives, it has become one of the world's top ten tourism powerhouses. I hope Korea will also establish innovative measures with the government as the focal point and usher in an era of 30 million annual tourists."

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