South Korea is ramping up its efforts to become a global tourism powerhouse by setting an ambitious target of attracting 30 million foreign visitors by 2026. This goal is a key part of the Korea Tourism Organization’s (KTO) sweeping new reform agenda, designed to reshape the country’s tourism sector into a major economic driver.

At a press briefing in Seoul, Park Sung-hyeuck, the president of the Korea Tourism Organization, revealed the details of the nation’s new tourism strategy. He emphasized that 2026 would mark a new phase in South Korea’s tourism efforts, with a focus on increasing inbound tourism, revitalizing local economies, and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to drive the sector’s long-term growth.

A New Vision for Tourism in South Korea

Park’s announcement comes at a pivotal moment as South Korea continues to recover from the pandemic and seeks to establish tourism as one of its core economic pillars. The country’s government has set its sights on attracting 30 million foreign visitors by 2030, but Park revealed that this timeline has been advanced by two years, making 2026 the critical year for reaching this ambitious goal. To achieve this, the KTO aims for an annual growth rate of more than 16 percent in inbound tourism.

Park pointed out that tourism offers significant opportunities not only to boost employment but also to revitalize regional areas and create lasting value for the economy. As part of the plan, South Korea is positioning tourism as a sustainable driver of jobs and regional development, especially in areas facing population decline.

Key Focus Areas for Growth

Park outlined three key themes for South Korea’s tourism strategy moving forward: global reach, local engagement, and AI transformation.

• Global Reach: On the global front, the KTO plans to build on the growing popularity of K-culture, which has captured the world’s attention through K-pop, films, and Korean lifestyle trends. The KTO will launch a series of conversion-driven branding campaigns, connecting global interest in K-culture to actual travel demand. The objective is to turn the fascination with K-pop, Korean drama, and cuisine into real-life visits, showcasing the rich cultural experiences that South Korea has to offer.
• Local Engagement: Domestically, the plan also emphasizes encouraging South Koreans to explore their own country rather than traveling abroad. In addition to this, the government plans to introduce national vacation support packages that will provide incentives for South Koreans to travel within their own borders. A significant aspect of this initiative will be the expansion of the Digital Tourism Resident Card program, which will offer rewards and discounts to citizens who travel to regions experiencing population decline. This program is designed to use tourism to address demographic challenges while boosting local economies.
• AI Transformation: The third pillar of the strategy focuses on AI-driven transformation. The KTO aims to revolutionize the tourism industry by incorporating AI platforms and data-driven decision-making to enhance the visitor experience and improve industry efficiency. This AI-powered approach will allow for more personalized travel experiences, optimizing everything from booking processes to tour recommendations. Park emphasized that the use of AI and big data would be key in creating long-term competitiveness for the tourism sector, ensuring that growth isn’t just about increasing visitor numbers, but also about sustainable value creation.

Revitalizing Regional Tourism

A major component of the KTO’s strategy is addressing regional depopulation, which has become a growing concern in South Korea. With many rural and regional areas facing declining populations, the KTO’s new initiatives aim to use tourism as a tool for revitalizing these areas. By focusing on local engagement, the KTO plans to encourage South Koreans to travel to less-visited regions, thereby boosting the local economy and supporting the preservation of cultural and historical heritage.

This strategy will also benefit foreign tourists, as the KTO plans to expand the number of tourism experiences available in regions outside major cities like Seoul. These initiatives will diversify the types of tourism experiences available, making South Korea’s tourism sector more inclusive and accessible.

Transforming the Tourism Industry Through AI

The introduction of AI into South Korea’s tourism strategy is particularly exciting, as it represents a modernization of the industry that will have far-reaching impacts on both tourists and businesses. AI-driven platforms will be able to predict visitor preferences, provide real-time travel recommendations, and automate key processes like visa applications and customized itineraries. By making the tourism process more seamless and efficient, South Korea hopes to attract a new generation of tech-savvy travelers who value convenience and personalization.

This move towards AI and big data will also help the country optimize its tourism offerings, providing more tailored services that align with the needs and expectations of visitors. The goal is to not only increase visitor numbers but also improve the overall quality of tourism in South Korea, ensuring that visitors have memorable experiences while contributing to the local economy.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

While South Korea’s tourism strategy is ambitious, it faces several challenges. The country’s tourism industry will need to maintain a balance between growth and sustainability, ensuring that the influx of visitors does not overwhelm the environment or local communities. To address these challenges, the KTO is focusing heavily on sustainability, with a commitment to protecting natural resources and integrating environmental protection into tourism planning.

Additionally, achieving the 30 million visitor goal will require collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as between local communities, tourism operators, and the government. By working together, South Korea can meet its target and position itself as a leading global tourism destination.

Conclusion: A New Era for South Korean Tourism

South Korea’s ambitious goal to attract 30 million foreign visitors by 2026 is a bold move that signals the country’s commitment to making tourism a core driver of economic growth. By focusing on global marketing, local engagement, and AI-driven transformation, the Korea Tourism Organization is laying the foundation for a more innovative, sustainable, and inclusive tourism industry.

As South Korea works towards this ambitious target, the country’s tourism sector is poised to become an essential pillar of its economy, offering new opportunities for job creation, regional revitalization, and global cultural exchange.

Feb. 1—A stampede waiting at the gables. Then, a mass pileup as the gates swung open.

Pandemonium aptly describes the conclusion of Gonzaga's last conference home game with rival St. Mary's College. Not the contest on the hardwood, but the scene that unfolded in front of the McCarthey Athletic Center after the final buzzer.

As part of a promotion, fans as they left the arena were handed One Piece collectables, including a collector's card that has unexpectedly become highly valuable, fetching several hundred dollars apiece when resold online. Outside, more than two dozen One Piece fans, collectors and scalpers sought to separate those fans from the cards. And because many fans had no idea the value of the cards, some parted with them for $50 or less.

The rivalry game in the Kennel Saturday was the second of three games to feature a partnership between Gonzaga and the nearly 30-year-old Japanese franchise One Piece. Each has featured giveaways, like co-branded T-shirts and posters, as part of Bandai Namco Entertainment's campaign to get more Americans to read the manga, watch the anime, catch up on Netflix's live-adaptation and play the associated One Piece Card Game.

Dubbed the One Piece College Basketball: US Voyage, the promotion partnership spans fifteen games at five American universities: Gonzaga, St. John's University, Rutgers University, the University of Illinois and the University of Houston. It was organized by the marketing and multimedia rights company Learfield, which contracts with more than 280 higher education institutions across the country.

Each school is hosting a halftime show featuring clips from the show, T-shirt tosses and performances of the series theme song by college pep bands and cheer squads. Across the 15 games, three for each school, attendees have or will receive limited edition posters and playing cards associated with the "One Piece" game.

While the T-shirts, posters and halftime show drew some interest, the high value giveaway that caused a ruckus at Saturday's game, as it has at collegiate arenas across the country, is a limited edition trading card.

With more than three minutes left in the game Saturday, crowds had formed on either side of the glass doors at the south entrance of the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Inside, fans were eagerly waiting to be handed one of the cards as they exited. Outside, collectors prepared to make their aggressive pitches more than two dozen One Piece fans, collectors and scalpers sought to separate those fans from the cards.

Nick Goble, 27, and his cousin Jayden Martinez, 18, were were stationed outside. The longtime fans of the series made the trek from Moses Lake with two other friends who sought to get a showpiece for their collections.

Martinez said he loves playing the game, while Goble said he enjoys collecting anything One Piece-related. They had the date circled on the calendar since they first caught wind of the collaboration, but tickets proved too hard to obtain.

"My boss, you know, he's a big sports guy," Goble said. "He said this is the first event he's ever heard of where there's no after-market tickets."

As if it wasn't already hard enough to get tickets in the Kennel, the card giveaway has pushed ticket costs up for college games across the country. For example, the cheapest same-day ticket available for Rutgers' giveaway game and matchup with No. 7 Michigan State last Tuesday hung around $250. By comparison, it would cost just $16 for the cheapest seats when Rutgers hosts the University of Washington on Feb. 24 after the promotion ends, according to Ticket Data.

Unable to get tickets, Goble, Martinez and their friends made a plan. Each armed with posters offering cash for cards, the latter two stationed themselves at the student section exit to the North of the building, while Martinez and Goble hung out front. Each brought around $500, intending to start with offers of $50. They had meager goals compared to some of the others outside the gates: obtain a few cards for their personal collections.

"I want one to keep sealed in the package, and then I want one to put in my binder," Goble said.

"If I see a couple that has some, I might offer them $50 for both of them," he added. "I probably wouldn't go over $200 for one."

Martinez hoped for a set of four, which is how the cards are usually incorporated into decks to play the game. Although, as a collector item, few likely will be playing with them.

"It's a really cool collection piece, and honestly, that'd be something, four with all of this," Martinez said, gesturing to the competition also awaiting the flood of fans exiting the arena.

The final buzzer sounded, the doors opened and chaos ensued. As fans fought to get to their vehicles, collectors and others outside the arena closed in around them, leading to a tangle just outside the front doors.

Goble and Martinez's posters quickly fell by the wayside as they saw the aggressiveness others used as they hounded Zags fans for the cards.

Among the would-be buyers were fans and collectors like themselves, some Gonzaga students and those with seemingly nothing more than an entrepreneurial spirit and fat stacks of cash in hand.

Offers started flying, only to be bested by an eavesdropping competitor.

"I'll give you $20 for the card," a timid would-buyer said to a senior couple decked in Zags gear.

"Here's $100 right now," someone interjected with. The woman quickly pocketed the second offer.

"This is just sleazy," someone in the crowd said.

Every few feet, a similar interaction seemed to play out. Befuddled basketball fans had cash thrown in their faces from seemingly every angle. Some were stopped repeatedly, and lamented the losses they were made aware of only after being offered more for the card they just sold to someone else.

"I don't even know what this is all about," said season-ticket holder Sam Wood. "But someone shoved $100 in my face."

Wood said he was unaware of the One Piece franchise, and he missed the last giveaway, so he was confused by the fervor that awaited him after watching his Bulldogs win. His eyes widened when The Spokesman-Review informed him they were fetching between $400 to $800 online.

"Really?" Wood asked incredulously. "So I shouldn't have just sold it is what you're saying."

The circus carried on for around an hour, and security had to get involved more than a few times. At one point, a middle-aged man wielding a stack of cards in one hand and a ridiculously large sandwich of $100 bills in the other was escorted off the property.

He loudly protested, while trying to show the guard something on his cellphone.

"I'll tell him right now, Adam Morrison, there he is right there, look," he told the guard, waving his phone around, apparently with a picture of the former Zags star on the screen.

"Who do you think you are?" he added.

He hung around the parking lot for a few minutes, only to return a few moments later to carry on aggressively bargaining with departing fans after the guard had to return inside for her duties.

Security also closed the doors for re-entrance as scalpers tried to get in for the giveaway, pleading to use a restroom or fetch an item they claimed to have left inside. Security repeatedly asked the crowd out front to disperse for about an hour after the game.

Gonzaga likely had an inkling some chaos would ensue.

Last week, Learfield's Gonzaga Sports Properties general manager, Mark Livingston, said the college decided to do the giveaway after the game to avoid a scene inside the building as the game got underway. Season ticket holders told The Spokesman-Review that the giveaway at the start of the game against San Francisco last month led to a similar scrum inside the building, as the game was being played.

Gonzaga's peer institutions also participating in the One Piece campaign have had their own headaches as a result of the partnership. In New Jersey, someone broke into Rutgers' Jersey Mike's arena and made off with an untold number of the cards last Tuesday, as reported by New York City broadcast station WABC.

If all of the estimated 8,000 cards in the university's possession were stolen, it'd amount to an estimated $2 million in re-sell value given current market prices.

Goble and Martinez got separated amidst the hustle and bustle of the open-air market. It was rowdier than they anticipated, but each was able to obtain at least one card for their collections. Goble said he paid $200, mostly to get it over with, after he was shoved around and outbid more than a few times.

As longtime fans, he and Martinez said it's a bit disappointing seeing others treat the collectible as nothing more than a business opportunity. The promotional campaign coincides with a sharp rise in the value of all One Piece cards, and an influx of scalpers hoping to capitalize.

"If that wasn't the case, I don't think this card would be that big," Martinez said.

Still, Goble said he was grateful they were able to secure some of the cards, and at a price that's still half of what they would have paid online.

"This was just crazy," Goble said.

The final One Piece giveaway at a Gonzaga home game will be Feb. 10 against Washington State University.