Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon speaks during a press briefing at Sowol Art Hall in Seoul's Seongdong District, Tuesday. Yonhap
Korea will foster international conferences that represent each region as “Korean versions of the Davos Forum” to boost the regional economy and foster the MICE (meetings, incentive tours, conventions and exhibitions) industry, the government said Thursday.
The goal is to be the top nation in the number of international conferences it hosts by 2028, attract 1.3 million foreign participants and earn $3 billion in foreign currency.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the Fifth Basic Plan for Promotion of the International Conference Industry, for which the ministry plans to establish a new organization dedicated to supporting and fostering locally hosted international conferences.
The ministry plans to build a public-private consultative body consisting of the Korea Tourism Organization, local governments and industry stakeholders.
Also, the ministry will launch 18 export support centers specialized in staging international conferences overseas to provide customized support for international conference-related companies, including local settlement assistance and investment attraction, when they advance overseas.
The ministry established guidelines to strengthen the functions of organizations exclusively responsible for regionally hosted international conferences. It plans to increase the ratio of additional points to those that hold international conferences from 10 percent to 30 percent. Also, it will enhance participants' visits to regional areas by promoting tourist attractions and diversifying travel programs.
It will also promote projects to foster international conferences and apply already-developed technologies to international conferences and events.
Under the Tourism Promotion Act, the standards for international conference facilities will be relaxed so that facilities such as hotels and condominiums where international conferences are held frequently can also be included in the business category.
To resolve personnel shortages at international conference companies, the ministry plans to provide customized training for preliminary personnel and women with career interruption while establishing a one-stop platform for integrated information on the international conference industry.
In addition, the ministry will strengthen a central-regional-private cooperation system to promote, foster and clarify the scope of the international conference industry and specify related industries by sector.
A performance evaluation system will be introduced for the seven currently designated international conference complex districts and 11 international conference cities to improve the operation.
“The Fifth Basic Plan for Promotion of the International Conference Industry is significant in that it is a policy proposed by the international conference industry at the phase of its re-emergence on the world stage,” said Jang Mi-ran, second vice minister of the culture ministry.
“We will continue to create various policy measures that will lead the international conference industry in cooperation with local governments and the private sector.”