'Half-Price Travel' Revitalizes Depopulated Areas... Government Discusses Expansion for Second Half of the Year

Sharing the Achievements of the Pilot Project with 16 Local Governments
Local Currency Operators Join the Discussion

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization will review the achievements of the "Half-Price Travel in Korea" project for the first half of the year and discuss directions for the second half.

Local Love Vacation Support Project (Half-Price Travel) Poster. Korea Tourism Organization

The Ministry announced that, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, it will hold the "Local Love Vacation Support Project Local Government Council" at the Westin Josun Hotel in Seoul on June 22. Around 100 participants will attend, including representatives from the 16 local governments that took part in the project during the first half of the year, local governments hoping to participate in the second half, and key officials from major local currency operators.

"Half-Price Travel in Korea" is a pilot project led by the Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization this year in partnership with 16 local governments. The project provides partial travel cost support to citizens wishing to travel within the country. The Ministry explained that public interest was high, as applications closed immediately upon opening.

This council meeting has been organized to share achievements to date and operational experiences by each local government, as well as to discuss ways to improve the project for the second half of the year. The meeting will also share the direction of ongoing surveys and research commissioned to professional firms to measure the outcomes of the first-half pilot project and to identify areas for improvement.

Local governments will also present their operational case studies. Miryang City will share its efforts to strengthen customer communication, while Jecheon City will present its introduction and use of the "Half-Price Travel" application checklist. Each local government will share the challenges identified during project implementation and their operational models.

Local currency operators will also participate in the discussions. Representatives from major local currency operators, including Kona I, Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp. (KOMSCO), and ZeroPay, will discuss the project's development direction together with local governments. There will also be a "Connect Round" exchange program to facilitate one-on-one communication among participants.

Kang Dongjin, Director of Tourism Policy at the Ministry, stated, "The 'Half-Price Travel in Korea' project is a policy designed to revitalize rural and fishing communities struggling with population decline by boosting their economies, while also offering citizens unique travel experiences. Based on the diverse opinions shared at this council meeting, we will further enhance and strengthen the project."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.