The Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA) and the Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA) gathered in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, with the grand goal of achieving 3 million reciprocal exchanges in sight. On June 19, the 38th KATA-TVA Korea-Taiwan Tourism Exchange Meeting, held at Hotel Hyundai by LaHan Mokpo in Yeongam, Jeollanam-do, was the first meeting since the inauguration of the new leadership of both organizations. In-depth discussions were held under the theme of 'A New Era of Korea-Taiwan Tourism: Enhancing the Global Competitiveness of the Travel Industry'.

Growth Beyond Recovery: Expecting Record Highs

Last year, the number of reciprocal tourists between Korea and Taiwan showed a remarkable recovery. The number of Taiwanese tourists visiting Korea reached a record high of 1.48 million, and the number of Korean tourists visiting Taiwan also reached 1 million. These figures represent a growth of 49.7% and 36.6% respectively compared to the previous year, recovering 99.22% of the pre-pandemic level in 2019. This achievement is particularly significant as it was made despite the variable of the Hualien earthquake in Taiwan in the second quarter of last year, creating strong expectations that 2025 will set new record highs. Currently, there are 272 flights per week between Korea and Taiwan, which is a key driving force enabling active human exchange between the two countries.

Notably, the high utilization of provincial airports (50%) and the high proportion of repeat visits (36%) among Taiwanese tourists visiting Korea are significant. This suggests that Taiwanese tourists have a high interest in various regions of Korea, not just Seoul, and a strong intention to revisit. In addition, as of April, about 800,000 people participated in the incentive support program for Taiwanese group tourists, with Koreans accounting for the highest proportion at about 280,000. Taiwan plans to extend this program until November 30 to further accelerate the attraction of Korean group tourists.

Introduction of AI Technology and Activation of Regional Tourism: New Growth Engines

At this meeting, the introduction of AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology and measures to revitalize regional tourism were intensively discussed as key drivers for the future tourism industry. KATA President Lee Jin-seok emphasized, "To achieve the goal of 3 million reciprocal exchanges between Korea and Taiwan, the travel industry must strive to develop services applying IT technologies such as AI that lead rapidly changing market trends."

NOL Universe emphasized the importance of 'vertical AI' specialized for the travel industry and proposed the introduction of comprehensive AI services for travel companies, including not only B2C response but also hotel and airline sales automation, pricing, booking and payment, and customer communication. AI is expected to maximize the operational efficiency of travel agencies and improve the quality of travel experiences by providing more personalized and customized services to customers.

After COVID-19, the phenomenon of inbound foreign visitors concentrating on major first-tier cities such as Seoul, Busan, and Jeju has intensified, but demand for provincial visits is also steadily increasing. As of 2023, the average length of stay for foreign visitors to provinces increased by 3.1 days, and the expenditure of tourists visiting provinces via the Seoul metropolitan area was 20% higher than the average expenditure of inbound foreign visitors. This proves that the activation of provincial tourism is an important factor in expanding the overall tourism industry and increasing its economic ripple effect.

However, it was pointed out that urgent solutions are needed for problems such as insufficient provincial finances, limitations in securing destinations, and restrictions on movement and activities to revitalize provincial tourism. Accordingly, the meeting identified policies for fostering provincial destinations, creating a private-led inbound ecosystem, and expanding transportation networks as key tasks. The Taiwanese side introduced the 'Hakka (客家) ethnic culture' as a way to revitalize provincial tourism, proposing seasonal festivals and diverse content development centered around Hakka villages spread across the south, north, and east of Taiwan.

Sustainable Development Through Cooperation

This meeting was attended by about 130 officials from related organizations and the travel industry in Korea, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, and about 70 officials from the Taipei Representative Office in Korea and the travel industry in Taiwan, who engaged in lively discussions. The Taiwan Bicycle Culture Museum, Haenam Culture & Tourism Foundation, Heping Island Geopark, Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau, and Suseong Culture Foundation shared specialized strategies for tourism resources utilizing traditional culture and regionally specialized content, exploring possibilities for mutual cooperation.

TVA President Gan Ye-an emphasized, "Tourists from both countries visit each other to enjoy culture, healing, and lifestyle, so now is the time to focus on strengthening the competitiveness of the travel industry and revitalizing regional tourism," hoping that this meeting would serve as a stepping stone to further raise the target number of reciprocal visitors beyond 3 million.

Korea and Taiwan have achieved continuous growth in the tourism sector based on high mutual understanding and active exchanges. The discussion at this meeting, including the introduction of AI technology and the revitalization of regional tourism, is expected to be an important turning point that will drive the qualitative growth of the tourism industries of both countries. The 39th KATA-TVA Korea-Taiwan Tourism Exchange Meeting in 2026 is scheduled to be held in Pingtung County, the southernmost part of Taiwan, and the strong cooperation between the two countries will deepen further in the future.