The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Yu In Chon, MCST), in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization (Acting President Seo Young Choong, KTO) and the Korea Tourism Association (Chairman Lee Kyung Soo, KTA), announced it will host the inaugural Open Travel Week from April 14–20. This initiative is designed to offer practical and meaningful travel opportunities to people who could not fully enjoy their basic travel rights — known as the “tourism vulnerable” — and to raise public awareness of barrier-free travel through a range of barrier-free tour experiences, packages, and benefits.

Supporting People with Limited Access to Tourism: Offering Various Convenience and Discount Benefits across Tour Destinations, Food & Beverage, Accommodations, and Major Shopping Locations, with Barrier-Free Tourism Exhibitions and Events

MCST is launching the “Open Travel for KRW 30,000” package for those who have difficulty traveling due to mobility and accessibility issues. The package includes special vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts and provides “Tour Care” travel assistant services to aid travelers with limited mobility. The program is expected to help around 200 individuals, together with their companions, who may have otherwise hesitated to travel due to limited accessibility and aid. In addition, “Sharing Trips,” a program targeting 200 individuals with physical, visual, or developmental disabilities will also take place during Open Travel Week. Participants will experience inclusive and barrier-free travel programs across Korea, including wheelchair-friendly king canoe rides.

Seventeen companies and organizations, including tourist attractions, restaurants, shopping destinations, and travel agencies, will join the Open Travel Promotion campaign to offer tailored discounts and services based on the specific needs of travelers with disabilities, including reduced admission and activity fees and free rental of mobility aids. In the accommodations sector, MCST will collaborate with Nol Universe to drive the “Hotels for Everyone” campaign. Travelers can easily search and book accessible rooms at 103 hotels via the Yanolja app, enhancing accessibility and convenience. Six partner companies will also offer room discounts, free wheelchair rentals, and other inclusive services for guests with accessibility needs.

 Furthermore, a barrier-free tourism experience event will take place at HiKR Ground in Seoul from April 15–20. Anyone visiting the fifth floor of HiKR Ground will be able to enjoy a barrier-free themed exhibition titled “A Map to Happiness for All.” Visitors can engage in the Open Travel Event on the ground floor, deepening their understanding of barrier-free tourism. Further information on Open Travel Week can be found on KTO’s Open Travel website “Travel for All (access.visitkorea.or.kr).”

Open Travel Week, Enhancing Our Awareness of Tourism Accessibility and Inclusion

The Open Travel Week coincides with recent legislative changes made on March 20, when the amendments for the Framework Act on Tourism[1], the Tourism Promotion Act, and the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund Act[2] were passed by the National Assembly to enhance the institutional foundation for barrier-free tourism. These updates in the so-called three barrier-free acts clearly define the term “barrier-free tourism” while stipulating provisions around the creation of a barrier-free tourism environment under the purposes of the tourism promotion master plan and the tourism promotion and development fund that can facilitate more active and structured implementation of barrier-free tourism policies.

“With new legal foundations in place and growing societal awareness of inclusive travel, the first-ever Open Travel Week goes beyond supporting trips,” said Director General Kim Jeong-hoon of the Tourism Policy Bureau at MCST. “It’s a turning point in how we understand and embrace tourism accessibility and inclusion. We thank the National Assembly for paving the way with revised laws for those with limited accessibility. MCST will continue to expand the barrier-free travel environment so that  everyone can enjoy the unrestricted freedom of mobility and accessibility.”