Korea gears up for 'Visit Korea Years 2027–2029' with public-private-academic push

A public-private-academic collaboration aimed at attracting 30 million foreign tourists and ensuring the success of the Visit Korea Years 2027–2029 is now moving into full swing. The initiative seeks to combine private-sector expertise on the ground with academic and research knowledge to develop high-impact tourism models.

The Visit Korea Committee said Wednesday it held the first meeting of its public-private-academic working group to promote cooperation across the tourism sector.

Co-organized by the Visit Korea Committee and the Korea Tourism Academic Society, the working group brings together representatives from the tourism industry, academia and research institutions to review collaborative projects and implementation strategies that draw on private-sector resources.

At the meeting, participants agreed to conduct data-driven analyses of past project outcomes and develop tangible project models distinguishing between short-term and medium-to-long-term tasks. Discussions focused particularly on integrated collaboration strategies that leverage the content and data assets of platform companies alongside the retail and lifestyle industries — key consumer touchpoints for foreign tourists.

The working group plans to hold three meetings in total by year's end and produce a report outlining public-private collaboration tasks and concrete action plans. It will then run a public-private cooperation session at next year's Korea Tourism Academic Society conference to share findings and link them to government policy and on-the-ground projects.

"Bringing together the diverse resources and capabilities across the tourism sector requires that the public, private and academic communities jointly set the direction for collaboration and work through the specifics of implementation," said Han Hye-ri, secretary general of the Visit Korea Committee. "Through the working group, we will strengthen cooperation not only with private-sector partners but also with member organizations such as the Korea Tourism Academic Society and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, and identify public-private collaboration projects tied to the Visit Korea Years 2027–2029."