Program

Keynote Session

The Future Urban Economy Shaped by Local Tourism and Digital Innovation

Date/Venue : Oct. 26(Mon), 2026 | 09:45-11:05 / 2F, Grand Ballroom, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Government Delegates and Representatives from Relevant Organizations

Contents : Connecting Urban Economies and Tourism Innovation through Local Tourism:
Advancing Sustainable Urban Growth and Global Cooperation

  • Randy Durband

    CEO,
    Global Sustainable
    Tourism Council(GSTC)

    Keynote 1 / Moderator

  • Jay Lee

    North Asia Senior Director,
    Agoda

    Keynote 2

  • Drik Glaesser

    Director of Sustainable
    Development,
    UN Tourism

    Panel

  • Jung-Won Kang

    Deputy Minister, Tourism Policy,
    Ministry of Culture,
    Sports and Tourism

    Panel

High-Level Policy Session

Shaping the Future of Cities Through Tourism: From Policy Vision to Collective Action

Date/Venue : Oct. 26(Mon), 2026 | 11:20-12:30 / 2F, Grand Ballroom, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : City leaders from participating cities, senior government officials, and tourism and urban policy representatives

Contents : City leaders share tourism policy directions and local best practices, offering participants direct benchmarking
insights into how cities can drive tourism innovation, strengthen local economies, and foster global city cooperation

  • Local Economy &
    Community Development

    Revitalizing the Tourism Economy
    through Resident Participation
    and Local Resources

    San Salvador

    Speaker

  • Smart Tourism &
    Digital Innovation

    Transforming Tourism Services
    and Urban Tourism Management
    through AI and Data

    Busan Metropolitan City

    Speaker

  • Sustainable Tourism &
    Urban Resilience

    Preserving Natural and Cultural
    Heritage and Promoting
    Responsible Tourism Management

    Machu Picchu

    Speaker

  • City Branding &
    Tourism Experiences

    Creating Brand and Tourism
    Experience Value through
    Unique Urban Assets

    Colombo

    Speaker

Ambassadors’ Session

Hidden Gems from the Diplomatic Frontline: Ambassadors on Tourism City Branding
and Urban Economic Revitalization

Date/Venue : Oct. 26(Mon), 2026 | 14:30-15:45 / 2F, Grand Ballroom, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : City officials and the general public

Contents : Presentations and discussions by Ambassadors on city branding and local economic development from an international perspective

  • Seoung-hyun Moon

    Dongseo University,
    Collaboration Professor

    Moderator

  • Hazem Ismail Ibrahim Zaki

    Ambassador,
    Embassy of Egypt to
    the Republic of Korea

    Panel

  • Alisher Abdusalomov

    Ambassador,
    Embassy of Uzbekistan to
    the Republic of Korea

    Panel

  • Andrew Banda

    Ambassador,
    Embassy of Zambia to
    the Republic of Korea

    Panel

  • Jyri Jarviaho

    Ambassador,
    Embassy of Finland to the
    Republic of Korea

    Panel

Thematic Session I [Expert]

Good Tourism: Quality of Tourism as a New Measure of Urban Growth

Date/Venue : Oct. 27(Tue), 2026 | 09:30-10:40 / 2F, Grand Ballroom, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Academic experts, industry professionals, and the general public

Contents : Presentations and discussions by domestic and international industry and academic experts

  • Yeong-Hyeon Hwang

    President,
    Asia Pacific Tourism
    Association(APTA)

    Moderator

  • Myung-keun Song

    Secretary General,
    Asia Pacific Tourism
    Association(APTA)

    Speaker

  • Peter Dustan

    Researcher,
    Mori Memorial
    Foundation

    Speaker

  • Giannina Warren

    Senior Program Manager,
    RMIT University
    Vietnam

    Speaker

  • Simon Moriarty

    VP of
    Syndicated Research,
    MMGY Global

    Panel

Thematic Session II [City on Marine Tourism]

Maritime Tourism Cities: Strengthening Tourism Competitiveness through
Local Culture and Marine Resources

Date/Venue : Oct. 27(Tue), 2026 | 10:50-12:20 / 2F, Grand Ballroom, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Academics, professionals, public audience

Contents : Presentations and panel discussions on good tourism and cooperation

  • Woo-Jeong Cho

    President,
    Korea Marine Leisure
    Industry Federation

    Moderator

  • Thabet Hassan Al-Nabulsi

    Commissioner,
    Aqaba Special Economic
    Zone Authority(ASEZA)

    Speaker

  • Emily Wang

    Director,
    Sanya Tourism Board
    of China

    Speaker

  • Doane Liu

    Chief Tourism Officer,
    City of
    Los Angeles

    Speaker

  • Dong Yoon Yoo

    Professor,
    Department of Hotel and
    Tourism, Youngsan University

    Speaker

Thematic Session III [Corporate]

Wellness and Local Content: Sustainable Tourism Models for Urban Economic Growth

Date/Venue : Oct. 27(Tue), 2026 | 14:00-15:10 / 2F, Grand Ballroom, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Travel content creators, travel product developers, and tourism major students

Contents : Presentations and panel discussions focusing on city storytelling, recovery, sustainability, and locality

  • Alex Park

    Country Director
    for South Korea,
    Agoda

    Speaker

  • Wei Li

    Vice President & Economist,
    Mastercard Economics Institute

    Speaker

  • Somsak Boonkam

    CEO,
    Local Alike

    Speaker

Thematic Session IV [Youth]

Finding My Path Through Local: Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship

Date/Venue : Oct. 27(Tue), 2026 | 15:20-17:00 / 2F, Grand Ballroom, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Tourism major students from universities in the Busan area, and others

Contents : Enhancing practical competencies through dialogues with tourism leaders, presenting youth perspectives,
and building industry–academia networks

  • Dong-hyeok Son

    KBS Busan Regional Reporter
    and Youth MC

    MC

  • Sung-jun Jung

    CEO,
    Mr.Mention

    Speaker

  • Young-seon Baek

    CEO,
    Flying Whale

    Speaker

  • KIM GIRIM

    CEO,
    April’s Moby Dic Lab

    Speaker

Special Session I [KF Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum]

Regional Tourism Cooperation and Business Opportunities to Connect
the Korean and Central Asian Tourism Markets

Date/Venue : Oct. 27(Tue), 2026 | 10:50-12:20 / 2F, Capri Room, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Approximately 100 participants, including regional tourism stakeholders from the five Central Asian countries,
experts from relevant Korean organizations, private-sector practitioners from travel agencies and airlines,
Secretariat staff including Resident Fellows, and Central Asian/tourism-related organizations in Busan

Contents : ① (Inbound) Current Trends in Central Asian Tourism to Korea and Opportunities for Regional Tourism in Korea - Current status and key characteristics of Central Asian visitors to Korea - Preferred tourism content, destinations, and travel patterns - Trends and best practices in regional tourism in Korea ② (Outbound) Korean Travel Demand for Central Asia and Current Status of Tourism Product Development - Korean travel demand for Central Asia and major destinations - Current status of the development and sales of Central Asia travel products - Potential for developing regional tourism products in Central Asia

Special Session II [GSTC Destination Workshop]

Discussion on the Proposed Revision of the GSTC Destination Standard (GSTC-D)

Date/Venue : Oct. 27(Tue), 2026 | 15:40-18:00 / 2F, Capri Room, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Approximately 40 participants, including GSTC representatives and other interested participants

Contents : Introduction to the GSTC-D Standard and the proposed revision

Special Session III [City Tourism Promotion]

City Tourism Briefing and Discussion on Cooperation

Date/Venue : Oct. 27(Tue), 2026 | 09:30–11:00 / Panorama Room, 16F, Paradise Hotel Busan

Participants : Tourism organizations, institutions, and companies

Contents : Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City