MY Social Company, Jangsu County, and Tourism Ventures Launch 'Local Sandbox'

Jangsu County Meets the Imagination of Tourism Ventures: A New Horizon for Local Tourism Opens A significant step towards an innovative future for local tourism has begun in Jangsu County, Jeollabuk-do. At the ‘Local Sandbox Jangsu County Event,’ organized by MYSC (MY Social Company), 13 early-stage tourism venture companies collaborated with local stakeholders, unearthing Jangsu County’s hidden charms and proposing new tourism models. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, this event established a new arena for cooperation where local governments and tourism startups join hands to vitalize the local economy. Participating venture companies poured out brilliant ideas based on Jangsu County's rich natural and cultural heritage. Various profit models creatively utilizing existing infrastructure and idle spaces were proposed, receiving great interest from Jangsu County officials. These included app-based incentive-type trekking, trail races enjoyed with pets, night tourism utilizing XR and digital media art, weekend travel packages targeting the MZ generation, and experiential content tailored to children's perspectives. Through small-group meetups, the commercialization potential of the ideas was deeply discussed, and on-site visits to Jangsu Nuripark further enhanced the practicality of the proposals. Regarding this collaboration, Lim Min-kyu, Director of Jangsu County's Planning and Coordination Office, stated, "The customized proposals that leveraged Jangsu County's unique characteristics were impressive," and expressed hope for continued exchanges with startups in the future. Kwon Jong-seol, Head of the Tourism Enterprise Support Office at the Korea Tourism Organization, emphasized that "collaboration between ventures and local governments is key for the sustainable growth of the tourism industry," and expressed expectations that the Jangsu County case would lead to tangible results such as vitalizing the local tourism ecosystem and creating new jobs. Lee Hyun-song, a researcher at MYSC, also revealed plans to create a sustainable tourism ecosystem by integrating local resources with venture ideas. This Jangsu County event, highly anticipated to be the first successful case of 'open innovation,' is set to inject new vitality into local tourism and will serve as a crucial turning point to invigorate the local economy with innovative ideas.