Tourism ministers from the G20 nations pose for a photo during the sixth T20 Tourism Ministers Meeting on Sept. 30 in Antalya, Turkey. Second Vice Minister Kim Chong of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stands in the front row on the far right.
Tourism ministers from the G20 nations have gathered in Antalya, Turkey, to discuss ways to improve the tourism industry worldwide.
The ministers shared their thoughts during the sixth T20 Tourism Ministers Meeting on Sept. 30, being held under the theme of “Tourism, Mid-sized Companies and Job Creation.” Representing Korea, Second Vice Minister Kim Chong of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism outlined the government’s major policies to attract more tourists and to reinvigorate the tourism sector.
As an example, the vice minister explained how Korea came out of the MERS crisis after the outbreak of the respiratory syndrome shook the nation and actually claimed lives earlier in the year.
He also showed the government’s so-called “Creative Tourism” project designed to support mid-sized companies and start-ups in the tourism sector and to help create more jobs for young people and women in the industry. Under this project, venture startups will receive counseling, education and help advancing into new markets both at home and abroad.
Second Vice Minister Kim Chong of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism speaks during the sixth T20 Tourism Ministers Meeting in Turkey.
The T20 Tourism Ministers Meeting was launched at the 18th UNWTO General Assembly in 2009. It has since sought to draw international cooperation on tourism from G20 member states, allowing tourism ministers from each country to exchange new ideas.
This year’s meeting adopted the Antalya Statement, a declaration that calls for more efforts to be made in the tourism sector with the aim of, “creating more jobs of high quality in the field.” Under the statement, the ministers agreed to focus more on research into the influence that a vigorous tourism sector could have on the world economy as a whole and also on developing better policies.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr
