Seeking AI Survival Strategies and Meeting Investors: ‘2026 Tourism Companies Ieum Week’ Held

[Financial News] Tourism venture companies will seek survival strategies in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and pursue investment opportunities. A new education program will also be offered for university students aspiring to launch businesses.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced on the 15th that they would hold the ‘2026 Tourism Companies Ieum Week’ at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences from the 15th through the 16th.
Now in its sixth year, Ieum Week connects tourism ventures with local governments, private companies, and investors. The event seeks opportunities for cooperation among companies through conferences, a demo day, and one-on-one business briefings.
The first day’s conference will address brand marketing for tourism ventures and survival strategies in the AI era. Speakers will include author Song Gil-Young, who wrote ‘Sidae Yebo,’ Yoo Jeong-su, CEO of Glow Seoul, and HyunJune Ji, CEO of Vacatio.
This year, a prospective entrepreneur program for about 40 university students was launched in connection with KTO’s future-oriented tourism talent development program. It will help participants develop the potential to commercialize their ideas through entrepreneurship training, presentations on the business models of three tourism ventures, and consultations with established companies.
An investment-attraction program will be operated intensively on the 16th. One-on-one investment consultations will be held between tourism-focused venture capital firms, accelerators, and tourism ventures. In cooperation with Korea Venture Investment, the event will also feature an investment briefing for managers of the Korea Fund of Funds.
The program brings together needs at each stage of growth, from reviewing ideas before launch to expanding operations and securing funding after launch. Whether on-site consultations lead to actual partnerships and investment will be a key indicator of the event’s impact after it concludes.
Kang Jeong-won, director general of tourism policy at MCST, said, "I hope this will serve as an opportunity to create new businesses and services through convergence among tourism, technology, content, and various other fields."
[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter