173 Ideas for ‘Conservation, Coexistence and Respect’ in Jeju Travel to Become Six Real Programs

【Financial News Jeju = Reporter Yongbok Jeong】 Ideas submitted by tourists and residents are being turned into actual tourism programs in Jeju. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is moving to commercialize six of 173 public proposals, linking the conservation of nature, regional coexistence and respect for Jeju culture to voluntary actions by tourists.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization said on the 2nd that they held the awards ceremony for the A Promise to Jeju: Ideas for Action Contest and the second-cohort Partners performance-sharing session at the Jeju Welcome Center on August 31.
A Promise to Jeju is a tourism action campaign designed to encourage tourists, residents and the tourism industry to protect Jeju’s natural environment and communities together. With conservation, coexistence and respect as its core values, the campaign focuses on spreading actions that people can take during their travels.
A total of 173 ideas were submitted from across the country. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization selected six finalists after comprehensively evaluating their feasibility, creativity and sustainability.
The grand prize went to ‘Halmang Poka.’ The top excellence awards went to ‘A Promise to Jeju Connected Through Symbols’ and ‘TWIN ISLAND PROMISE.’
Three ideas received excellence awards: ‘Workshop with Jeju Masters and Local Artists,’ ‘A Promise AR Mission in Jeju’ and ‘tripleS.’
The contest is significant because it does not end with the awards. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization are working to connect the selected ideas with existing tourism programs or develop them into new content for operation at actual tourism sites. The aim is to move beyond presenting sustainable tourism as a set of rules tourists must follow and instead create programs in which travelers can participate and have fun directly.

A field experiment involving tourism businesses and village enterprises was also conducted. Eighteen tourism businesses and village enterprises in Jeju participated in the second cohort of A Promise to Jeju Partners. They operated programs tailored to their individual businesses, covering travel that protects Jeju’s nature and ecosystems, local experiences that promote coexistence with communities and respect for Jeju culture.
At the performance-sharing session, participants’ responses and areas for improvement identified during program operations were shared. Participants also discussed ways to identify outstanding programs that can be operated continuously and expand them across the tourism industry.
The initiative is also meaningful because it shows that Jeju’s tourism policy is expanding beyond increasing visitor numbers to managing the impact that tourism leaves on local communities during the travel process.
In particular, natural areas and villages that attract large numbers of tourists can also face tourism-related burdens, including waste, traffic congestion and encroachment on residents’ living spaces. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is focusing its policy on creating a structure in which tourism and local communities coexist by expanding action programs that tourists and the tourism industry join voluntarily.
Sustainability is the key challenge in turning contest ideas into actual programs. The initiatives must go beyond one-off campaigns or events, allowing tourists to participate easily during their trips while giving participating businesses practical incentives to operate them.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization plan to develop programs with strong potential for field application, drawing on the six ideas identified through this year’s contest and the operational experience of the 18 Partners participants.
Seungchul Ko, president of the Jeju Tourism Organization, said, "A Promise to Jeju is a promise created together by everyone who travels to Jeju and by Jeju residents." He added, "Based on the ideas identified and the Partners’ field experience, we will expand action-oriented campaigns for sustainable tourism in Jeju."


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