Galapagos and Greece’s South Aegean region join as Jeju’s island tourism network expands membership for the first time in 13 years

【Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 A new member is joining the international island tourism cooperation network, whose founding Jeju helped establish, for the first time in 13 years. Ecuador’s Galapagos and Greece’s South Aegean region will join, and a consultation event where tourism companies from participating countries can discuss developing and trading tourism products will also be held for the first time, expanding policy exchanges between local governments into cooperation in the tourism industry.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 18th, the 27th Island Tourism Policy Forum (ITOP Forum) will be held from the 28th to the 30th around Jeju Stone Park in Jeju City. The event, hosted by Jeju Province and organized by the Jeju Tourism Organization, is expected to draw around 450 people, including delegations from island local governments in 16 countries, among them 12 member regions, as well as representatives of international organizations and the tourism industry.
The biggest change is the expansion of the membership. Ecuador’s Galapagos Province and Greece’s South Aegean Region will join as new members. This is the first new membership in 13 years, since 2013, adding major tourist destinations in South America and Europe to the island tourism cooperation network in which Jeju participates.
Galapagos is a region with a unique ecosystem that was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a natural site in 1978. Tourism is an important economic activity there, but the region also faces environmental management challenges, including ecosystem damage from rising visitor numbers and the introduction of invasive species. Greece’s South Aegean is also a region that includes many tourist islands, and it must consider both attracting visitors and achieving sustainable local development.

The forum’s main agenda is responding to the climate crisis and promoting sustainable island tourism. Local governments from participating countries are expected to compare and discuss policies that attract tourists while protecting the natural environment and ensuring that tourism revenue benefits local communities.
The Island Tourism Policy Forum was launched in 1997 with the participation of four island local governments: Jeju, China’s Hainan Province, Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, and Indonesia’s Bali Province. Since then, it has operated as an international cooperation body for discussing tourism policies and shared issues affecting island regions.
This year, new programs will also be introduced to turn policy discussions into practical tourism business initiatives.
The first-ever ‘Island Tourism Consultation (Island Travel Mart)’ is expected to bring together 30 domestic and international tourism-product buying companies and 30 selling companies. Through business-to-business consultations, participants will explore ways to jointly develop tourism products for island regions and secure new sales channels. While previous forums focused on sharing local governments’ policies and experience, this year’s discussions will also extend to business cooperation among private tourism companies.

The 2026 World Island Festival, open to residents and tourists, will also be held at Jeju Stone Park on the 28th and 29th. The program will include tourism and cultural exhibits from island regions around the world, traditional performances, folk games, and traditional costume experiences.
On the 29th, a culinary program will feature chefs from islands around the world presenting signature local dishes. Jeju Stone Park is expected to be open free of charge during the event, on the 28th and 29th.
Jeju Province plans to share island regions’ experience in responding to the climate crisis through the forum while expanding cooperation among tourism companies.
Hwang Gyeong-seon, director of Jeju Province’s Tourism Exchange Bureau, said, “At this forum, we will discuss responses to the climate crisis and the future of sustainable island tourism, and create new growth opportunities for the local tourism industry through the tourism business consultation event.”


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