The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday historic city Gyeongju will host the 19th General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, one of the largest meetings in the world tourism industry, from Oct. 8-14.
The ministry said the October meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is expected to gather more than 100 ministers and deputy ministers from 154 member nations and 1,000 participants from the private tourism sector, academic circles and the media.
It is the second time for Korea to host the biennial international meeting since 2001 when Seoul and Osaka jointly hosted it. About 740 participants attended the 2001 General Assembly, the ministry said.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 B.C.―935 A.D.).
In August, Yangdong Folk Village in Gyeongju was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
With the opening of Singyeongju Station for high-speed train KTX in November, the number of local tourists visiting Gyeongju has been rapidly increasing, the ministry said.
