Gyeongbuk Province Secures 4 Billion KRW in National Funds to Remodel Accommodation Facilities at Bonghwa-gun Bunchon 'Santa Village Closed School'

Creating Unique Accommodations Utilizing Idle Facilities ... Part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 'KTTP Project'

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 4th that Bonghwa-gun was selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 'KTTP Regional Specialized Accommodation Facility Development Project,' securing 4 billion KRW in national funding (total project cost 8 billion KRW).

This project is part of the KTTP (Korea Total Tourism Package) initiative, aiming to create distinctive accommodation facilities by utilizing idle facilities so that the accommodation itself becomes a representative tourist attraction of the region.

KTTP (Korea Total Tourism Package) is a tourism leading model development project that provides packages including airfare, shopping, and accommodation to satisfy foreign tourists and revitalize regional tourism.

Bonghwa-gun, selected for this project, plans to create a new regional tourism hub by expanding and remodeling the closed Socheon Elementary School Bunchun Branch located in Bunchun-ri, Socheon-myeon , linking it with the Bunchun Santa Village tourist attraction.

The facility size of Bunchun Branch is 9,587㎡. On this site, accommodation facilities, restaurants and cafes, seminar rooms, Santa experience center, museum, and exhibition hall will be remodeled, and camping grounds, water play facilities, and sports facilities will be developed on the playground area.

Bonghwa-gun will select a project operator by June and in the second half of the year will establish the operational foundation through remodeling design and renovation of the specialized accommodation facilities.

Santa Village, centered around Bonghwa-gun Bunchun Station, has attracted attention as an experiential tourism facility since 2014 with Santa sledding slopes, Santa post office, and Santa sculptures, but there have been no nearby accommodation facilities until now. Through this experiential tourism infrastructure, it is expected to contribute to revitalizing the local economy by creating synergy effects linked with nearby tourist attractions and local festivals such as Baekdudaegan Arboretum, Euneo Festival, and Songi Festival.

Kim Sang-cheol, Director of the Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, said, "We will do our best to create attractive accommodation facilities where families, friends, and couples can make beautiful memories," and added, "It is also expected to contribute to the revitalization of the local economy through linkage with surrounding tourist resources."