National Tourism Strategy Meeting Elevated to Presidential Body... 15 Ministries to Participate

Bill to fully revise related regulations approved by Cabinet... Takes effect October 29
Culture minister to serve as secretary; senior presidential secretary to lead working-level coordination
Greater participation by private-sector experts and local governments... New tourism policy evaluation system introduced

The National Tourism Strategy Meeting, which oversees national tourism policy, will be elevated to a body affiliated with the president and reorganized as a pan-government consultative body with 15 ministries participating. To develop tourism into a national strategic growth industry, the government will strengthen interministerial policy coordination and expand participation by private-sector experts and local governments.

President Lee Jaemyung speaks at the Expanded National Tourism Strategy Meeting held at the Blue House last February. Yonhap News.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on October 20 that the Cabinet had approved a bill to fully revise the Regulations on the Organization and Operation of the National Tourism Strategy Meeting. The revised regulations will take effect on October 29.

The reorganization follows an amendment to the Framework Act on Tourism in April, which changed the chair of the National Tourism Strategy Meeting from the prime minister to the president. In addition to the existing ministries, the members will include the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, who is responsible for the exhibition industry linked to MICE tourism, and the Minister of Employment and Labor, who oversees workforce development and employment policies in the tourism sector. A senior presidential secretary responsible for tourism policy will also participate, strengthening interministerial policy coordination.

The meeting's operating structure will also change. The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism will take over as secretary, a position previously held by the ministry's second vice minister. The Vice Ministerial Coordination Meeting, which previously coordinated agenda items in advance, will be reorganized as a Working-Level Coordination Meeting, chaired by the senior presidential secretary responsible for tourism policy. The National Tourism Strategy Meeting will, in principle, be held twice a year, once every six months.

The revision also establishes an institutional basis for participation by the private sector and local governments. An advisory group of up to 20 experts in tourism policy and the tourism industry will be formed, with members appointed by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Regional Tourism Promotion Council, chaired by the ministry's second vice minister and comprising vice heads of metropolitan local governments, will gather regional input on agenda items to be submitted to the National Tourism Strategy Meeting.

A system will also be introduced to assess the results of tourism policy implementation and incorporate them into follow-up plans. The scope of the National Tourism Strategy Meeting's deliberations and coordination will explicitly include drawing up tourism promotion plans and evaluating and incorporating implementation results, enabling the government to monitor how each ministry carries out its policies.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young said, "The strategy meeting led by the president has established a Korea-tailored public-private partnership for tourism, bringing together government ministries, the private sector and local governments. This revision will provide a strong policy foundation for the tourism industry, a national strategic growth industry and a way to counter regional population decline."

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