[Edaily Reporter Oh Hee-na ] A proposal has been put forward to restructure the tourism industry in order to channel the increased flow of foreign tourists—driven by the K-Culture craze—to regional areas. The advice is to discover unique regional content and attract private investment to increase the length of stays and consumer spending.

The Korea Businessmen’s Association and the National Assembly Tourism Industry Forum jointly hosted a seminar titled “Improving Tourism Laws and Systems to Boost Regional Economic Vitality” at the National Assembly Library in Yeouido on the 22nd. The seminar was attended by representatives from the tourism industry, academia, the central government, and local governments, who discussed improvements to laws and systems as well as policy support measures to revitalize regional tourism.
In his opening remarks, Kim Chang-beom, Vice Chairman of the Association, emphasized, “As of the second quarter of this year, the rate of foreign tourists visiting regional areas stood at 34.2 percent, which is an improvement over the previous year, but two-thirds still remain in the Seoul metropolitan area.” He added, “We must connect the global craze for K-culture—including food, film, music, and beauty—with each region’s unique tourism resources.”
A common issue raised during the presentations that day was not a lack of regional tourism resources, but rather the structural limitations of the tourism industry in failing to convert those resources into extended stays and consumer spending. It was pointed out that simply building tourism facilities and increasing visitor numbers is insufficient to inject real vitality into the regional economy.
Professor Shin Hak-seung of the Department of Tourism at Hanyang University, who delivered a presentation, analyzed examples of regional tourism in Japan to highlight the need for a shift in domestic tourism policy. Professor Shin cited Naoshima, Japan—a once-declining island that was transformed into an international tourist destination by integrating art and architectural content—as a case study. Led by the private company Benesse Corporation in terms of investment and content development, the island now sees 84.7% of its visitors staying overnight.
Professor Shin also introduced the “Snow Country Tourism Zone” as a benchmarking example, highlighting how it transformed heavy snowfall—a natural phenomenon—into a tourism resource. This initiative connected three metropolitan governments and seven local governments into a private-sector-led regional tourism organization (DMO), unifying regional tourism resources into a single travel zone known as the Snow Country Tourism Zone.
Citing the example of Ghibli Park, Professor Shin also addressed the issue of post-event utilization of facilities built for international events. Ghibli Park, where local governments, content companies, and media collaborated from the planning stage, attracted approximately 2.94 million visitors in 2024 and generated an economic impact of 71 billion yen.
Professor Shin diagnosed the situation, stating, “Despite possessing excellent natural and cultural resources, regional tourism in Korea suffers from fragmented initiatives across regions and a reliance on public-led development, which fails to translate into accommodation and consumer spending.” He further pointed out, “Facilities for international events also lack content IP and long-term operational plans, resulting in a structure where maintenance and management costs are shifted to local governments after the event concludes.”
He continued, “We must establish an investment fund to develop region-specific local IP and build a governance structure that allows the private sector to participate in planning, investment, and operations,” adding, “It is necessary to selectively relax land-use regulations by designating ‘Tourism Revitalization Special Zones’ in areas experiencing population decline, provide tax incentives for investments in infrastructure supporting extended stays, and mandate a post-event utilization roadmap starting from the stage of attracting international events.”
Cha Ji-young, a senior research fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Research Institute, who served as the second presenter, proposed a strategy to channel interest in K-Culture into regional tourism content.
Researcher Choi explained, “The interest of overseas consumers, which began with K-pop, dramas, and movies, is expanding to encompass the entire Korean lifestyle—including food, beauty, cafes, and traditional culture,” adding, “We must now actively seize the opportunity to spread tourism demand, which has been centered on Seoul, to provincial cities and small towns.”
However, she emphasized, “We must be cautious about the approach of building new large-scale K-pop concert venues or content facilities in every region,” adding, “It is important to identify each region’s unique assets—such as its industries, cuisine, and culture—and create differentiated content and brands that demonstrate ‘why this region is the right choice.’”
During the ensuing discussion, opinions emerged that we must move away from government-led initiatives and build a tourism ecosystem centered on private companies, such as local travel agencies and tourism startups. Choi Dong-seok, Head of the Tourism Industry Division at the Chungnam Culture and Tourism Foundation, stated, “The expansion of K-Culture into regional tourism depends on the planning ability to integrate small-town concepts into regional itineraries,” emphasizing the need to build an ecosystem where private companies and local talent can thrive together.
Lee Jae-soo, Head of the People’s Livelihood Economy Team at the Korea Economic Association, argued, “To revitalize regional tourism, it is crucial to build regional brands with active private-sector participation, and systematic nurturing of these brands is necessary.” He added, “Strengthening the capabilities of regional DMOs, transforming major regional airports into hubs for inbound tourism, and expanding regional cooperation through partnerships with global OTT platforms can serve as practical measures to revitalize regional tourism.”
Opinions were also expressed that budgets and policies must support improvements to tourism laws and systems so that they lead to actual changes on the ground in local communities. Min Byeong-deok, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, said, “Tourism is no longer just a leisure industry but an industry that revitalizes regions,” adding, “I will see this through to the end to ensure that efforts to revitalize the tourism industry result in actual legislative amendments and budget allocations.”
Rep. Kim Seok-ki of the People Power Party emphasized, “Along with increasing the number of tourists visiting South Korea, it is a critical task to direct their travel beyond Seoul and the metropolitan area to regional destinations,” adding, “We must create an environment where regions can independently develop competitive tourism content and the private sector can actively invest.”