Government to create 'smart' tourist city

By Jun Ji-hye

The Korean government has kicked off a 4 billion won ($3.3 million) project to create a “smart” tourist city that will incorporate the latest advances in information and communication technologies to improve the convenience of tourists and offer distinguished experiences, officials said Thursday.

Through the project, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), is aiming to create a space in which innovative travel startups can expand their future business by combining tourism with Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

The project will also contribute to raising the competitiveness of regional tourism, officials said.

The ministry will receive applications for the project from consortia consisting of municipalities and private organizations, such as enterprises and universities, from April 27 to May 8.

After evaluating their proposals, the ministry will select three consortia in May, and offer 150 million won in support ― plus strategy and risk consulting ― to each.

The three consortia are required to finalize their business plans and demonstrate their services on the spot from May to August.

One winner will be selected at the end of August and provided with 3.5 billion won to create the smart tourist city by the end of April next year, equipping it with various technologies such as AI, augmented reality and virtual reality content, chatbot services and self-driving cars.

The ministry is planning to hold a business information session about the project in March, but noted the schedule may change in accordance with the development of the ongoing spread of the coronavirus.

“The aim of the project is to establish a solid foothold in the future tourism sector by developing advanced tourism content and infrastructure,” a ministry official said. “Beginning with the project, the government will continue to expand smart tourist cities.”

The KTO said the project comes in response to growing interest in smart tourism in and outside the country, noting that 78.3 percent of foreign tourists visiting Korea have collected travel information through their smartphones.

It added that an increasing number of tourists are utilizing their smartphones to book and pay for flight tickets and hotels.

“The smart tourist city will help local communities enhance the competitiveness of their regional tourism,” said Kim Kwon-ki who is in charge of the project at the KTO. “Integration between tourism and information and communication technologies will offer more convenient services and distinguished experiences to tourists.”