The Korea Tourism Organization has eliminated the need for tourism businesses to wait until office hours to inquire about government support programs. According to the organization, one in four inquiries received through its newly implemented artificial intelligence (AI) counseling service occurred during evenings or weekends. This service, which utilizes AI to assist tourism businesses in exploring support programs and managing internal administrative tasks, has been awarded the top prize at the Science and Technology Innovation Awards.
On October 27, the Korea Tourism Organization announced that it received the Grand Prize from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT for its AI service 'Dr. Raz and Raz Chief' at the 20th Science and Technology Innovation Awards held at the Megazone Industry-Academic Cooperation Center in Seoul. Out of 93 projects submitted this year, 19 were selected as winners, making the Korea Tourism Organization the only public institution to receive the Grand Prize.
The award-winning project is an AI service integrated into the tourism industry information platform 'Tour Raz.' It is divided into 'Dr. Raz,' which assists external tourism businesses and personnel, and 'Raz Chief,' which supports the work of organization employees.
Dr. Raz is a counseling service that tourism businesses use to find support programs or check application procedures. It recommends relevant programs based on the business's location and industry, providing guidance on application methods and support details. Raz Chief offers necessary information to organization employees handling the operation and administrative tasks of Tour Raz. Both services are designed to utilize official data registered in Tour Raz as the basis for their responses.
Usage statistics have also been compiled. Since its launch in March, Dr. Raz has responded to 1,447 inquiries from over 200 businesses and institutions by September. User satisfaction was rated at 4.21 out of 5.
Notably, 24% of all inquiries were made during evenings or weekends, indicating a significant demand for support program information outside regular office hours.
Since October 12, the Korea Tourism Organization has removed the login requirement for Dr. Raz, allowing users to access the service without separate member authentication. The organization plans to enhance the service based on data accumulated during the usage process.
Moon Sun-ok, head of the Tourism AI Innovation Office at the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, "We have developed and improved the service to help tourism businesses find support information more easily. We aim to enhance digital services to reduce inconveniences experienced in the field."
Meanwhile, the Science and Technology Innovation Awards are co-hosted by the Korea Information Science Promotion Association and Electronic Times, with sponsorship from the Ministry of Science and ICT, evaluating projects in the industrial and public sectors that utilize science and technology and AI.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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