The Korea Tourism Organization announced on November 11 that it held the '2026 Tourism Venture Final Demo Day' and the 'BETTER里 (Battery) Project Performance Sharing Event' on November 10 at Community House Masil in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The Demo Day aimed to enhance exchanges between tourism venture companies supported by the organization and investors, broadening opportunities for investment and strengthening commercialization capabilities. Over 100 attendees, including tourism venture companies and major investors, participated, with 14 companies pitching for investment.
Investment fund operators, including those backed by pension funds, assessed the market viability and investment attractiveness of tourism venture companies. Following mock investment evaluations, six outstanding companies—Miseoul, Ravenly, About Fishing, and The Service Platform—were selected. The event facilitated over 40 follow-up investment consultations through networking with attending investors.
The Korea Tourism Organization plans to continue supporting these consultations to translate them into tangible investment outcomes. Additionally, it provided one-on-one specialized consulting linked with regional creative economy innovation centers to assist young entrepreneurs and venture companies in entering local markets.
The Battery Project Performance Sharing Event held on the same day saw participation from over 60 companies and local governments involved in this year's initiative. The battery project combines the ideas of tourism venture companies with local resources to address issues in declining population areas and promote tourist influx. This year marks the fourth year since its inception in 2023.
This year's project focused on Gangjin County in South Jeolla Province and Gimje City in North Jeolla Province. A total of 61 companies applied, resulting in a competitive ratio of 4.4 to 1, with 14 companies selected, seven from each region.
During the performance sharing event, 14 companies, including Gutenberg, Samil Ilshim, Moon Academy, and Gir, presented their demonstration results utilizing local resources for tourism projects.
On this day, the Korea Tourism Organization also introduced the operational direction for the 2027 battery project to help local governments interested in participating understand the initiative. Applications for local governments to join the 2027 project will be accepted until the 13th.
Min Byung-seon, head of the Tourism Industry Division at the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, "It is important that the innovation of tourism ventures leads to new visits and stays in the region beyond just corporate growth. We will support the growth potential of the companies confirmed this time and the regional demonstration results to ensure they lead to follow-up investments and continuous collaboration, thereby expanding the foundation for tourism companies and regions to grow together."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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