Interior ministry offers 6.1 billion won to local governments with tourism ideas

The interior ministry said Tuesday it will provide 6.1 billion won ($4.49 million) in special grants to local governments selected in a new regional tourism competition, the first joint project of a policy council the government launched in July.

The grants will be distributed on a sliding scale to 13 local governments, including one grand prize winner each at the metropolitan and basic local levels, two top excellence awards and seven excellence awards. Local governments can apply in four categories: tourism product innovation, tourism consumption promotion, tourism trust recovery and tourism income villages. Applications close on Oct. 20, with judging from late October to early December, final selection of the local governments and an awards ceremony in December.

Song Kyung-joo, head of the interior ministry's local finance and economy office, said the financial incentive is meant to turn regional tourism ideas into policies that revive local economies. "I hope the realization of these ideas will transform regions into places people want to visit and stay, bringing local economies back to life," he said.

Kang Jung-won, head of the culture ministry's tourism policy office, said the country needs a strong push to shift tourism from the Seoul metropolitan area to the regions. "The culture ministry and the interior ministry will work closely together to produce results that can be felt on the ground," he said.

The project stems from the Regional Tourism Policy Council, co-chaired by officials at the director-general level from both ministries, which was formed on July 16 on the shared view that tourism is a core driver of regional economies, and reflects the two ministries' intent to respond to the risk of regional extinction and revive local economies through tourism innovation.