Abstract
“Jeju Olle” is the name of a series of walking trails (26 courses, totaling approximately 410km) located in Jeju Island, South Korea. "Olle" means “an alley to a village” in the dialect of the island. Ms. Myung-sook Suh has played a central role in the construction of Jeju Olle and serves as the president of the Jeju Olle Foundation, a non-profit organization. The first course of Jeju Olle was constructed in September 2007, and volunteers helped to extend and complete all the courses in November 2012. Olle is maintained by revenue from membership fees, company sponsorships, and sales of original brand products. In 2007, 3000 people came to walk on Olle, and since then the annual number of Olle walkers has increased significantly; every year since 2011 there have been over one million visitors, and this has brought about a new trend in tourism business. One of the main reasons for the increase in popularity in South Korea of the walking tours to Jeju Olle is the reduction in cost and improved access associated with an increase in the number of LCC flights from 2008. Jeju Olle has won praise both at home and abroad, and is a successful new business model of sports tourism, combining factors such as business management by non-profit organizations and activation of the regional economy.
