[Edaily Reporter Lee Seon-woo] The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Ward, the operator of the integrated food service platform “CatchTable,” signed a business agreement on the 5th to revitalize culinary tourism for foreign visitors to Korea and expand the regional tourism ecosystem. Designed to promote Korea’s culinary culture worldwide and address the inconvenience foreign tourists face in accessing information such as restaurant reservations, this agreement will serve as a catalyst for the two companies to pursue various initiatives aimed at encouraging culinary consumption among foreign visitors.

CatchTable plans to provide a one-stop digital service that includes information on restaurants nationwide—including the “33 Selected K-Local Culinary Tours,” a collection of representative regional culinary content selected by the Korea Tourism Organization—as well as reservation and payment services. The vision is to create a virtuous cycle by expanding foreign visitors’ travel destinations nationwide and providing information on local eateries through a global platform, thereby boosting sales for local businesses and small merchants. The KTO expects that this will allow foreign tourists to comfortably enjoy unique local cuisine without language barriers.

Min Byeong-seon, Head of the Tourism Industry Division at the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, “This agreement will serve as an important milestone for the qualitative growth of culinary tourism in Korea,” adding, “We will revitalize the local economy and the tourism industry by creating an environment and services that allow all international visitors to Korea to conveniently discover and enjoy hidden culinary gems in every corner of the country.”