Seven Organizations Join Forces for “Tourism for All” – Launch of Universal Tourism Governance

Seven tourism organizations from Seoul, Gyeongbuk, Gwangju, Busan, Ulsan, Incheon, and Chungnam have come together to establish a collaborative system for barrier-free tourism, while promoting universal tourism familiarization tours (fam tours) and marketing initiatives linking regional tourism resources.

On the 10th of August, the Seoul Tourism Organization (President and CEO, Ki Yon Kil) announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Universal Tourism Governance at the Seoul Tourism Plaza together with six other regional tourism organizations from Gyeongbuk, Gwangju, Busan, Ulsan, Incheon, and Chungnam.

“Universal tourism” refers to a tourism environment that is accessible and convenient for everyone, including people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, infants, and their companions. Participating organizations include ▲Seoul Tourism Organization ▲Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Tourism Organization ▲Gwangju Tourism Organization ▲Busan Tourism Organization ▲Ulsan Cultural Tourism Organization ▲Incheon Tourism Organization ▲Chungnam Cultural Tourism Organization — a total of seven institutions.

The purpose of this agreement is to expand the foundation for barrier-free tourism through collaboration with regional tourism organizations, and to enhance mobility and tourism enjoyment rights for vulnerable groups through the exchange and cooperation of regional tourism resources.

Through this agreement, the organizations will cooperate in various areas, including ▲information exchange and joint project development for universal tourism ▲online and offline marketing targeting domestic and international tourists with accessibility needs ▲regional tourism resource-linked fam tours ▲and the development of universal tourism content.

In particular, the Seoul Tourism Organization plans to leverage its ▲Seoul Danurim vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts ▲Seoul Danurim Tourism Center, a comprehensive barrier-free tourism support center ▲its website and social media channels ▲domestic and international offline networks in combination with each regional tourism organization’s ▲attractive local universal tourism resources ▲service infrastructure for tourists with accessibility needs ▲online promotion channels to create synergistic effects.

At the signing ceremony, all participating organizations emphasized their shared vision and commitment to universal tourism. Ki Yon Kil, president and CEO of the Seoul Tourism Organization, stated, “Tourism is an industry without borders between regions. As the importance of barrier-free tourism grows in Seoul and other regions, working together with local organizations will make ‘tourism for all’ a reality.”