This photo, courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, shows the Tourism Information Center on the first floor of the Seoul Tourism Plaza in the country’s capital. (Seoul City Government)

The Seoul metropolitan government opened a new tourism hub in the country’s capital on Thursday and said it would help the tourism industry to grow and develop.

The Seoul Tourism Plaza is located in the Samil building in the central Jongno district and extends over floors 1 and 4 to 11. On the first floor there is a tourism information center and a souvenir shop, as well as the offices of various tourism organizations, associations and start levels on the upper floor .

The city government said the square is designed to help local tourism businesses overcome the COVID-19 crisis and lead the rapidly changing trends in the industry.

“Post-COVID-19 tourism will focus on security, location, and virtual or digital targeting,” said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at the square’s opening ceremony. “The City of Seoul is actively pursuing projects to support, restore and develop the city’s tourism sector in order to secure a leading position in terms of demand in the global tourism market.”

The city government said the three main areas of focus of the square will be to support tourism businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthen cooperation between relevant associations and the public and private sectors, and increase tourism opportunities for citizens to expand.

The square’s tenants include the Seoul Tourism Organization, which is affiliated with the city government, the Seoul Tourism Association, the Asia Inbound Tourism Association, and a local marketing firm representing Tourism Australia, the country’s state tourism agency.

The city government said the square was established in response to industry demands for a tourism hub in the capital after the Korean State Tourism Organization moved to Wonju in Gangwon Province in 2015. (Yonhap)

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