Gangwon Province, South Korea's leading local tourism destination, joined member states of the East Asia Tourism Organization (EATOF) in adopting a joint declaration centered on carbon neutrality and AI-powered smart tourism at the organization's general assembly, which concluded Friday in Cebu, Philippines.
On Thursday, Gangwon Province co-hosted a governors and provincial leaders meeting in Cebu with EATOF and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), reaching consensus on the joint declaration as a new milestone for global cultural and tourism exchange and sustainable shared development.
On the declaration's first commitment — designating local green destinations and advancing carbon neutrality — Gangwon Province pledged to preserve its eco-friendly natural and cultural heritage, including eco-tourism and peace-and-security tourism along the clean Demilitarized Zone.
The EATOF joint declaration also covers the promotion of high-value local tourism content, including the joint development with PATA of integrated tourism products spanning gastronomy, traditional culture and festivals across major cities; the pursuit of a glocal tourism model through cooperation among local governments, universities and industry; the expansion of barrier-free exchange among member states through an AI-based smart travel environment; and the establishment of a safety tourism network for coordinated response among member governments during disasters or crises.
Shin Won-cheol, Gangwon Province's vice governor for economic affairs, led the provincial delegation. He said the final agreement on the joint declaration "will serve as an important opportunity to broaden practical horizons, including sustainable tourism development among participating member states and the creation of an AI-based smart travel environment." He added that the province would continue to strengthen regional economic vitality and the future competitiveness of the global tourism industry through close cooperative networks.
On Wednesday, an international symposium on "strategies for sustainable regional tourism and cultural development" was held following the opening ceremony, with participants identifying shared challenges and exploring policy alternatives to address shifting global tourism trends.
Bilateral talks among member states held Wednesday afternoon featured one-on-one discussions aimed at sharing regional issues and identifying concrete areas for cooperation. Through the sessions, participating states worked to deepen mutual trust and lay the groundwork for expanding multilateral cooperation going forward.
A standing committee meeting held Thursday morning conducted a final review of the joint declaration. Committee members reached agreement on the text after incorporating the views of all participating countries.
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