Can Korea Position Itself as a Global Destination?

The simple answer is yes, absolutely. The solution has been a long time coming and admittedly, Korea is uncharacteristically behind schedule in establishing itself as a tourism destination. While there have been 

Maureen O'Crowley Senior Director of Int'I Marketing and Conventions, Seoul

incredible strides, there remains much work to be done. As a nation, where do we go from here?

To find out, those of us in the tourism industry need to ask ourselves some difficult questions. We need to think long and hard and dig deep for meaningful answers.

One problem is that, in general, the tourism industry tends to suffer from a lack of respect. This is not just the case here in Korea, but in many other countries as well. There is a sense that careers in tourism and related enterprises are less than serious and somehow ``easy’’ since they are associated with such concepts as ``fun,’’ ``leisure’’ and ``recreation.’’

More emphasis is needed on the key word ``industry’’ and the importance of tourism in the overall economy. It is, after all, a $740 billion global industry and it is time Korea got a bigger piece of the pie. For a bit of perspective, consider this: profit on the sale of one exported automobile is estimated to be $500. Imagine the impact of millions of tourists spending $1000 in the country ― it has the potential to dwarf other industries. That is the real power of tourism.