In Year of the Red Horse, experts tie Korea's tourism strategy to AI, sustainable travel

Korea’s tourism industry will be reshaped this year by a stronger focus on sustainability, wider use of artificial intelligence (AI) and more customized travel experiences, the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea (TOSOK) said Wednesday, unveiling its first annual vision under the slogan “RED UNICORN,” to mark the Year of the Red Horse. At a New Year's press conference in Seoul, TOSOK President Seo Won-seok said 2026 marks “a great turning point when the entire industry ecosystem must be overhauled,” driven by simultaneous shifts in AI, sustainability standards, demographics and intensifying global competition. “The key task is not only to achieve the quantitative goal of 30 million inbound visitors, but to connect that achievement to qualitative growth in the structure and content of Korean tourism,” he said, stressing that visitor volume alone does not guarantee competitiveness. Seo said Korea must move beyond a model centered on short-term visits and their associated shopping and lodging to one that “refines the very content and methods of tourism” through convergenceWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times