S. Korea offers tourism students hands-on experience

A group of 55 tourism major students at home and abroad have been traveling across South Korea and learning the latest industry trends to take a step towards their dreams, the state tourism agency said Monday.

"Global Young Leaders Tourism Camp 2016" hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has been underway from July 19 to Aug. 2 for 23 Korean students and 32 from 12 developing nations, including Nepal, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The two-week program includes visiting major tourism attractions in Seoul as well as Pyeongchang, the venue for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and the southern resort island of Jeju.

It also offers meetings with industry leaders in the hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors to learn about the latest tourism trends, marketing strategies and ways to start new businesses.

The participants will draw up their own action plans at the end of the camp to share what they learned when they return to their home countries, the KTO said.

KTO officials expect the camp to help the students have a better understanding of the industry and promote travel to Korea by sharing their experiences with their peers.

"Participants will share Korea tourism promotion content via their social networking sites," Sung Kyung-ja, a senior KTO official, said. "We plan to appoint the participants as Korean tourism supporters and support their activities in their home countries."

The tourism camp is part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Past programs invited tourism industry and government officials from the developing nations. (Yonhap)