Research Reports
Rural Tourism in the Post–COVID-19 Era: Paradigm Shifts and Policy Tasks
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AuthorKim, Kwangsun
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Publication Date2022.03.30
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Original
Purpose of Research
○This study inspects the current state of rural tourism amid the COVID 19 and suggests policy directions and tasks to reinvigorate it through a paradigm shift after the pandemic is over. Also, it proposes implementation strategies to fulfill the goals. First, this study analyzes changes and primary characteristics of rural tourism. Second, it looks into the status of tourism operation, tourists’ requests, and policy demands. Third, it seeks ways to transform the sector amid the pandemic and identifies good examples. It examines their characteristics and finds implementations for the future of rural tourism in the post-pandemic era. Lastly, this study predicts the features of the paradigm shift. It also derives policy tasks and their implementation strategies to invigorate rural tourism in the post-pandemic age.
Research Method
○Seeking the goals, we adopt research methods as follows:First, we suggest the concept and range of rural tourism through previous literature reviews. We review key details of domestic policies for rural tourism and the status of domestic and overseas policy implementations to put energy into the sector amid the pandemic. Besides, we also examine primary policies executed by local governments to respond to the pandemic.Second, we analyze primary statistics available to examine the pandemic’s impacts on domestic tourism businesses, including rural tourism. We look into the annual data of the national travel survey and the national rural tourism survey, and the RUCOS (Rural Community Experience Management System) data. We analyze transformations in domestic tourism in terms of quantity and patterns and check entire changes in rural tourism.Third, we carry out surveys targeting rural tourism providers and urban residents. Our surveys ask the former of business changes in the pandemic, post-pandemic plans, and policy demands. Also, we ask the latter—primary consumers for rural tourism—about their experiences, preferences, and future needs regarding rural tourism. Fourth, we conduct on-site inspections for key cases and interview field experts, including tourism managers in villages and heads of tour planning organizations in local governments. We identify good examples with appropriate responses to the pandemic and analyze their operation and organizational system.Besides, we prepare experts’ advisory meetings and forums to listen to their ideas about challenges faced by rural tourism and measures to tackle them. We also explore overseas examples with proper responses to the pandemic and find the features which can help boost Korea’s rural tourism down the road.
(For more information, please refer to the report.)
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