A seminar sharing research findings on the tourism appeal of cities around the world — and exploring strategic applications for South Korean tourism destinations — is set to take place later this month.
Yanolja Research, Purdue University's CHRIBA research institute and Kyung Hee University's H&T Analytics Center will jointly host the "2026 Global Tourism City Attractiveness Evaluation" seminar on July 16 at 1:30 p.m. at the Seoul Global Center. The event draws on social media big data in 14 languages to assess the tourism appeal of 191 cities worldwide, presenting data-driven strategies for South Korean tourism cities as the country enters an era of 20 million inbound tourists.
The seminar will feature two presentations and a panel discussion focused on shifts in city attractiveness and global positioning strategies for South Korean tourism destinations.
Jang Su-chung, director of Yanolja Research and a professor at Purdue University, will speak on the development of a global tourism city attractiveness index, while Choi Gyu-wan, a professor at Kyung Hee University and director of its H&T Analytics Center, will present the 2026 evaluation results. Experts from academia, industry and the public sector will then take part in a panel discussion on expanding inbound tourism and fostering public-private cooperation.
"A tourism city's competitiveness can no longer be explained by facilities and resources alone," said Jang, who leads the research. "What matters now is reading through data what tourists actually experience, how they feel, and which cities they want to return to." He added that the seminar would provide an objective assessment of where South Korean tourism cities currently stand in the global market, and offer practical guidance for local governments and private tourism companies seeking to build demand-driven strategies.
The event is open to anyone working in the tourism industry or in a policy role. Registration is available through the Yanolja Research website.
terry@heraldcorp.com
