The ministry and the organization said April 22 they had announced the final results of the 17th Tourism Venture Business Contest.
The contest drew about 1,500 applications, up 35.2% from a year earlier, for a competition rate of 15 to 1. The organization selected 20 pre-startup teams, 40 early-stage ventures and 40 growth-stage ventures, for a total of 100.
◆ AI, deep tech drive customized travel services
AI-based tourism services stood out among this year’s picks. Selected companies included Hanora Kids Trip, which optimizes itineraries for travelers with children; Ripplemate, a multilingual customer management platform for tourism operators; Zerobata, a hotel AI concierge service operating in 30 languages; and KEEPER, an automation platform for managing lodging spaces. Officials said the companies are expected to help accelerate digital transformation across the tourism sector.
◆ K-culture products target inbound visitors
Reflecting the global K-culture boom, several selected offerings focus on foreign visitors to South Korea. They included Celetrip, which offers fan-tailored tours using K-pop artist voice guides; Fanwork, which links K-culture fans’ interest in visiting South Korea to experiential products; Handybus, a mobility platform tailored to K-pop concerts; and Gotaek Live Dining, an arts-focused tourism program combining hanok stays with live performances and food for foreign visitors.
◆ Local and wellness trends also featured
The lineup also included experience-based services built around local culture and lifestyle travel. Examples included Temple Run, which combines temple culture with running; Chungcheongdo Saecham Hansang, which blends the region’s bobusang merchant culture with local food; Meongkok, an immersive pet tourism platform based on user-generated content data; and Dear Cabin, a high-end nature stay using luxury cabins.
The 100 selected companies will receive up to 100 million won each in commercialization funding on a differentiated basis. They will also be offered stage-specific support programs, including company assessments, mentoring, consulting, help with attracting investment, and assistance in developing domestic and overseas sales channels. The ministry said it also plans to pursue supplementary budget support to strengthen competitiveness across the tourism industry.
Min Jeong-hui, head of the tourism business startup team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said innovative ideas that combine AI technology with the appeal of Korean culture stood out this year.
“Having discovered more than 1,800 companies and created more than 5,300 jobs so far, we will help promising companies grow steadily in the market,” Min said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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