Operating Tourism Facilities Is Harder Than Building Them... 150 Local Officials Gather to Find Solutions

MCST and KCTI Hold Regional Tourism Development Workshop in Danyang
Amended Tourism Promotion Act Strengthens Performance Management and Project Feasibility Reviews
Consulting Cases Shared for Five Tourism Development Projects in Eumseong, Jecheon and Ulju
Eleven Awards Presented for Outstanding Regional Tourism Projects; Focus on On-the-Ground Project Management

What does it take to go beyond building tourism facilities and attract actual visitors while ensuring they remain in operation over the long term? Discussions on strengthening local governments' project management capabilities, from feasibility reviews of tourism development projects to facility operations, promotion and cooperation with local travel agencies, took place in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province.

Participants pose for a commemorative photo at the “2026 Second-Half Workshop on Regional Tourism Development” held at Sono Belle in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province, on the 29th. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the event drew around 150 people, including local government officials responsible for tourism development projects and experts from across the country, to discuss performance management and ways to improve the operation of tourism development projects. Korea Culture and Tourism Institute

The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute said it held the “2026 Second-Half Workshop on Local Tourism Development” with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at Sono Belle in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province, from October 29 to 30. More than 150 people, including local government officials responsible for tourism development projects and experts from across the country, attended the event, which was held under the theme “Tourism Development That Transforms Regions.”

The workshop was held as a performance management system for tourism development projects under an amendment to the Tourism Promotion Act took effect on October 29. The amended law provides a legal basis for performance evaluations of projects subsidized by local governments; the establishment and operation of a comprehensive tourism development information system; expert consulting and training; and the designation of an agency dedicated to performance management.

In particular, local governments are now required to submit proof that they have secured the project site and the results of a local government financial investment review when applying for national subsidies for tourism development projects. This strengthens management from the preparation stage, before a project begins. The measure is intended to reduce project delays and sluggish budget execution, issues that have repeatedly been flagged in tourism development projects.

On the first day of the workshop, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute shared the direction of tourism development policy and plans for performance management. They then held practical training sessions covering the development and operations stages of projects.

In the development track, experts from the Architecture & Urban Research Institute and the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration explained procedures for developing public buildings and case studies of feasibility studies for local government financial investment projects. In the operations track, private-sector experts discussed local public relations strategies, the role of local travel agencies and ways for local governments to cooperate with the travel industry.

A talk concert was also held under the theme “Tourism Development That Transforms Regions: What Is the Role of the Public Sector?” Danyang County's Tourism Development Team introduced examples of developing and operating local tourism facilities, while experts in tourism policy, architecture and regional tourism discussed the role of the public sector and ways to foster cooperation within regions.

At an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding achievements in regional tourism development projects, a total of 11 awards were presented across two categories: “Outstanding Regional Tourism Development Project” and “Local Government with Outstanding Implementation of Consulting Recommendations.” The awards comprised two grand prizes, four top prizes, two excellence awards and three honorable mentions.

On October 30, a program was held to share the results of this year's consulting on performance management for regional tourism development projects and review examples of how the recommendations were applied to actual local government projects.

The five projects featured in the presentations were Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province's “Jaringobi Cheongbin Village”; Jecheon City's “Uibyeong Changui Village”; Ulju County, Ulsan's “Making Onggi Creative Village a Tourism Attraction”; Gyeryong City's “Sagye Culture Experience Center”; and Jinju City's “Urban Forest Family Healing Recharge Station.”

The consulting leads for each project introduced its distinct challenges and proposed improvements, including tourism content development, updating project plans, architectural design and facility operations and management.

The program also included a roundtable discussion featuring seven tourism development experts on the theme “Challenges and Solutions in Regional Tourism Development: Directions for Performance Management and Consulting.” A site visit to Danyang Danuri Aquarium and Mancheonha Skywalk was also arranged to examine examples of developing and operating local tourism facilities.

Hwang Gyoik, president of the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, said, “In step with the strengthened performance management requirements under the amended Tourism Promotion Act, we will further advance the evaluation of regional tourism development projects, performance management and consulting for large-scale regional tourism development, and the operation of the tourism development information system.”

He added, “We will fulfill our role as a practical research institute that strengthens local governments' project capabilities and supports the creation of a sustainable regional tourism ecosystem that extends from development through to operations.”

The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute's Regional Tourism Development Management Center holds its Regional Tourism Development Workshop each year to review the results and areas for improvement of tourism development projects and incorporate feedback from the field into policy.

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