The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a policy forum on the afternoon of April 23 in central Seoul to discuss a broad overhaul of the Tourism Framework Act and the Tourism Promotion Act. The forum followed up on the 10th National Tourism Strategy Meeting held in September. Officials said the goal is to move beyond laws enacted in the 1970s and 1980s that no longer reflect rapid changes, and to present a concrete roadmap for what the ministry called a major shift in the legal framework.
◆ Patchwork revisions hit limits; full overhaul urged
South Korea’s tourism legal framework consists of six laws, four enforcement decrees and three enforcement rules. The Tourism Promotion Development Fund Act and the Tourism Framework Act were enacted in the 1970s, and the Tourism Promotion Act and the Korea Tourism Organization Act were enacted in the 1980s and 1990s.
Because the system has been revised only in parts, it has grown sprawling and unclear, critics have said, limiting long-term responses needed to develop the tourism industry. The ministry said it has prepared a systematic reform plan — including a full revision of the Tourism Framework Act and a full revision and possible split of the Tourism Promotion Act — based on research conducted with the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.
Jeong Gwang-min, a research fellow at the institute, said the Tourism Framework Act is being fully revised for the first time since it was enacted in 1975.
“If the existing framework act remained largely declarative — ‘what we will do’ — the new law’s core is to clearly define who will execute policy, how, and on what legal basis,” Jeong said.
He said inbound tourism hit a record about 18.7 million visitors last year and reached 4.76 million in the first quarter of this year, but 78.4% of inbound visitors remain concentrated in Seoul. “With the capital-area concentration, there are limits to the extent that regions as a whole can feel the benefits of growth,” he said. He called for the revised law to firmly establish local governments’ legal authority and administrative and financial support so they can plan and carry out region-specific tourism policies.
Under the proposal, the current 16-article law would expand to five chapters and 27 articles. The four main directions are strengthening tourism’s guiding principles and core values; defining the roles and responsibilities of the central government, local governments and businesses; reorganizing the policy implementation system; and specifying legal grounds to promote tourism and build an industry base.
A key element is reorganizing the “policy formulation and implementation system” that serves as a control tower. Jeong said the proposal would elevate the existing five-year plan to a 10-year “National Tourism Master Plan” and reinforce the legal basis for the National Tourism Strategy Meeting, which was elevated in March to a presidential body, to strengthen policy execution.
The proposal also adds new sections on “promotion and facilitation of tourism” and “building the foundation for the tourism industry,” and spells out legal grounds for policies that lacked clear support. It would include provisions to guarantee the public’s right to enjoy tourism and support tourism welfare for vulnerable groups; ensure tourism safety in disasters and other emergencies; protect tourists’ rights; and establish fair trade practices.
Kim Jin, a senior expert adviser at Shin & Kim, said the framework act should reflect a shift from central-government-led tourism policy to a model in which local governments take the lead and the central government supports them.
The second session focused on splitting the expanded Tourism Promotion Act by function to increase specialization. Ryu Gwang-hun, a senior research fellow at the institute, proposed dividing it into a tentatively named “Tourism Industry Promotion Act,” focused on industry development, and a tentatively named “Regional Tourism Development Act,” aligned with a stronger local-government era.
On the industry law, Ryu said the system should move beyond the traditional classification centered on seven major sectors and adopt a “service-attribute-based” structure that actively accommodates digital transformation such as AI and platforms. He cited support to expand an AI-based industry ecosystem; promotion of tourism data collection and use; building broader support for startups, investment and finance; and stronger consumer protections suited to changing transaction environments. He said a separate, stand-alone law for the casino and lodging sectors was also discussed, given their institutional characteristics.
On the regional law, Ryu said the approach should shift from development-centered policy to regional community growth and sustainability. He said legal grounds are needed for dedicated local tourism organizations and that legal options should be reviewed to secure local finances, such as a tourism lodging tax or room tax. He also proposed bold regulatory exemptions for small-scale, dispersed development and a one-stop system for handling related agendas.
Jeong Ji-ha, CEO of Tripbtoz, said tourism’s share of South Korea’s gross domestic product has long been stuck in the 3% range. “To raise it to 10%, we can’t remain an analog industry. We urgently need a legal framework centered on the next generation that fosters innovative companies able to compete head-on with global services in the digital world,” he said.
In an open discussion, participants also raised a shortage of tourist interpreters and guides for less common languages; the need for clear legal status and certification standards for small and midsize tourism venture companies; a regulatory fast track for new services to keep up with rapidly changing trends; and support measures for local creators to energize regional tourism.
Kang Jeong-won, the ministry’s director general for tourism policy, said the overhaul is not simply revising a thick statute book but “a difficult task of designing a new framework that opens an era of 30 million tourists and properly reflects the wide range of industries today.” He pledged to incorporate feedback from the forum and push for legislation through a National Assembly bill in the second half of the year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.