The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) provided support for the development of mobility as a service (MaaS) platforms for international tourists by tourism startups.

Currently, MaaS platforms require users to authenticate their account via domestic mobile carriers and register their payment method using domestic bank accounts and cards, making it difficult for short-stay tourists to use MaaS.

In light of such MaaS restrictions, the city conducted a public–private partnership project to promote an inclusive tourism industry with startups and developed mobile MaaS applications for international tourists.

The SMG and STO conducted a contest and selected two startups (i.e. Like A Local, and Globaleur) to link with MaaS providers (i.e. i.M, and Onda) and develop collaborative applications as follows.

Like A Local & i.M: pilot service until Dec. 31, providing KRW 10,000 discount vouchers
Like A Local, a startup that provides travel information for international tourists, partnered up with i.M, a MaaS platform that operates a fleet of premium minivans, to conduct a pilot service (via official website) in four languages (i.e. English, Simp. Chinese, Trad. Chinese, and Japanese) until the end of the year, providing KRW 1,000 discount vouchers for a limited time (once per user) and planning to officially launch their mobile service by next year.

– Service information

• Bookings: www.likealocal.kr/kor/taxi
• Languages: English, Simp. Chinese, Trad. Chinese, and Japanese
• Payment method: Online payment via international bank accounts/cards
• MaaS services: Immediate booking, reserved booking, hour-based booking

Globaleur & Onda: MaaS development with global service providers
Globaleur, a startup that provides real-time travel itinerary based on AI recommendations for B2B transactions, partnered up with Onda, a MaaS platform operated by T-money, to cooperate on R&D until the end of the year, currently developing technology to officially launch their mobile service by next year.

Seoul’s support for tourism startups’ development of MaaS platforms is expected to lead to the successful launching of official MaaS services, which will contribute to revitalizing the tourism market in synergy with the rise in international tourists in 2023.