S. Korea confirms 6.1 bln won incentives for regional tourism idea contest
In short
South Korea's culture and interior ministries have confirmed a total of 6.1 billion won in financial incentives for local governments selected in a regional tourism innovation idea competition called “Star of Korean Tourism”. Thirteen local governments will be chosen across four categories, with applications open until October 20 and an awards ceremony planned for December. The ministries say the contest is meant to push tourism development out of the capital region and into local economies.
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South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on October 5 that they have fixed a total of 6.1 billion won in financial incentives for local governments selected in a regional tourism innovation idea competition named “Star of Korean Tourism”. The money will be provided as special grants awarded on a differentiated basis depending on prize tier, the ministries said, and the call for ideas is open to local governments nationwide. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Thirteen local governments will be selected. Among metropolitan-tier governments, one grand prize and two top prizes will be awarded; among basic-tier governments, one grand prize, two top prizes and seven excellence awards will be given, according to the ministries. Entries are sought in four fields: tourism product innovation, tourism consumption promotion, tourism trust recovery and tourism income villages. Local governments may apply until October 20. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Judging is to run from late October to early December, with an awards ceremony in December, the ministries said. Asia Economy reported that selected projects will also advance to next year's main round of the “Star of Korean Tourism” award. Hankook Ilbo described the new contest as an expansion and reorganisation of that existing award, designed to support local governments from the early planning of policy ideas through to their growth into working policies. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
The competition is the first project of the Regional Tourism Policy Council, which the two ministries launched in July with officials at director-general level from both ministries as co-chairs, according to Hankook Ilbo. The government's stated aim is to have regions develop their own new tourism products, consumption promotion measures and tourism trust recovery policies, and to connect ideas to real projects so that regional tourism becomes a driver of local economies. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
“We are placing policy emphasis on boldly expanding the flow of tourism that is concentrated in the capital region out to the regions, including by creating tourism zones centred on regional airports,” Kang Jung-won, head of the culture ministry's tourism policy office, said. “I hope the tourism policy ideas of the selected local governments become innovations that grow the regions and the country together.” Song Kyung-joo, head of the interior ministry's local finance and economy office, said the incentive is expected to lead local governments to develop tourism policies and content drawing on each area's characteristics and to inject new vitality into regional economies. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The programme redirects a slice of central government funding to local governments that propose their own tourism ideas, in a stated effort to spread tourism demand beyond the Seoul metropolitan area. Winning projects are to be linked to actual spending rather than awards alone, and outstanding entries are to continue into the following year's main “Star of Korean Tourism” round. The sums involved, 6.1 billion won in total across 13 winners, are modest at national budget scale.
Key facts
- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety confirmed 6.1 billion won in total financial incentives for the “Star of Korean Tourism” regional tourism idea competition. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Support takes the form of special grants awarded on a differentiated basis by prize tier. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Thirteen local governments will be selected: among metropolitan governments one grand prize and two top prizes, and among basic governments one grand prize, two top prizes and seven excellence awards. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Ideas are sought in four fields: tourism product innovation, tourism consumption promotion, tourism trust recovery and tourism income villages. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Local governments can apply until October 20. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Judging is scheduled from late October to early December, with an awards ceremony in December. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The competition is the first project of the Regional Tourism Policy Council launched in July. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The amount each winning local government will receive. The documents say support is differentiated by prize tier but give no per-winner figures.
- How the new contest relates to the existing “Star of Korean Tourism” award. Hankook Ilbo describes the contest as an expansion and reorganisation of the existing award, while Asia Economy says winning projects advance to next year's main round of that award; the documents do not reconcile the two.
- The exact schedule for judging and the awards ceremony beyond “late October to early December” and “December”. The documents give only these periods, without dates.
- One outlet's coverage of the incentive total. One outlet's feed headline matched this announcement, but its retrievable article text dealt with an unrelated military accident, so only its headline was used.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Asia Economy and Newsis report that the government has fixed 61 billion won in incentives for local governments in the regional tourism innovation idea competition. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Yonhap reports the culture and interior ministries' confirmed incentive scale, the four application fields and the selection schedule. [ 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports the 6.1 billion won incentive and describes the contest as an expansion of the existing tourism award, with a quote from the interior ministry's local finance and economy office head. [ 4 ]
- Deadline for local governments to submit ideas in the four categories. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Judging is scheduled from late October to early December, with an awards ceremony planned for December. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]