Korea Tourism Organization headquarters in Wonju, Gangwon Province / Yonhap
The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Friday that it has selected 30 startups for its 2026 Tourism Open Innovation program, an initiative designed to bridge the gap between nimble tech upstarts and the country’s established corporate titans.
The announcement followed a kickoff event Wednesday at the Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam, marking the start of a series of partnerships aimed at modernizing the nation’s travel infrastructure.
The program functions as a matchmaker, pairing startups with large and mid-sized enterprises to develop pilot projects using the partners' vast resources. The selection process was notably competitive, with 302 companies vying for spots — a 10-to-1 ratio that highlights a growing appetite for digital transformation within the sector. Of the 30 finalists, 10 are specialized in artificial intelligence (AI), reflecting a strategic shift toward automated and hyper-personalized travel experiences.
Under the initiative, the KTO will provide each startup with up to 100 million won ($73,000) in pilot funding, supplemented by specialized consulting and direct pipelines to venture capital. The projects currently underway suggest a move toward a more seamless, data-driven visitor experience. Collaborations include an AI-powered tourism concierge developed with Kakao Mobility, a standardized financial and travel data platform with Shinhan Financial Group and real-time food recommendation systems for Lotte World.
At cosmetics maker Amorepacific's flagship stores, the focus is on international visitors, with startups building AI-driven platforms to manage user-generated content.
"Tourism Open Innovation goes beyond a simple support program," a KTO official said, noting that the program offers a rare entry point for emerging firms to penetrate the market alongside public institutions and industry leaders like Hotel Lotte.
The kickoff, which drew approximately 100 representatives, included panel discussions on the logistical hurdles of proof-of-concept implementation — a critical step in ensuring these digital experiments eventually reach the hands of the millions of tourists visiting Korea.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
