Gangwon-do Tourists, Who Visited Which Places the Most?

Gangwon-do Sees 410,000 More Tourists in March Compared to Last Year... Showing Strong Growth

7 Sections of Gangwon Tourist Roads [Provided by Gangwon Province]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] The number of tourists visiting Gangwon Province in March this year increased by 410,000 compared to the same period last year, showing a positive trend.

According to the Gangwon Tourism Foundation's March big data-based tourism trends on the 29th, the total number of tourists, combining both domestic and foreign visitors to Gangwon Province, was approximately 8.879 million, an increase of about 5% (around 412,000) compared to March last year.

Based on KT telecommunications data and BC Card data, the overall increase in tourists was analyzed to be due to the eased COVID-19 situation such as the lifting of business restrictions outside the metropolitan area, selection as an alternative overseas travel destination, and a preference for outdoor tourism activities compared to the previous year.

Analyzing by the 18 cities and counties of Gangwon Province, the highest increase rate of tourists visiting in March compared to February this year was Hwacheon-gun at about 39.2%, followed by Yanggu-gun, Chuncheon-si, Cheorwon-gun, and Wonju-si in order.

On the other hand, the areas with the highest decrease rates were Pyeongchang-gun at 26.8%, Sokcho-si, and Yangyang-gun, with a significant decline in tourists in the East Coast region.

Looking at trends by tourists' departure locations, Namyangju-si in Gyeonggi-do (about 230,000 visitors) had the highest number of visitors in March this year, followed by Songpa-gu and Gangnam-gu in Seoul, showing the same pattern as the previous month.

Additionally, the number of tourists from Chungju-si and Jecheon-si increased, confirming that visits to Gangwon Province are rising not only from Seoul and the Gyeonggi area but also from nearby regions.

Tourism consumption trends showed a spending scale of about 132.7 billion KRW in March this year, an increase of about 15.3 billion KRW or approximately 13% compared to February. Among this, food consumption was the highest at about 95.6 billion KRW, with the evening hours (6 PM to 12 AM) accounting for more than 49% of total consumption.

This is analyzed to be due to increased outdoor activities with the rise in spring temperatures and the lifting of operating hour restrictions for restaurants and cafes outside the metropolitan area, extending tourism consumption into the evening hours.

In particular, Hwacheon-gun, which ranked high in tourist growth rate, attracted and produced a tourism promotion program linked to a famous broadcasting program for regional tourism revitalization by the Gangwon Province (Tourism Marketing Division), making 'Haneulbit Lake Village' a new tourist destination and driving the increase in tourists to Hwacheon-gun.

Meanwhile, Jeongseon-gun saw an increase in tourist inflow to 'Baegunsan,' where the rare wildflower species 'Donggang Halmi Flower,' visible only in spring, is distributed, indicating that regionally specialized tourism content has a tangible impact on attracting tourists.

A representative from the Gangwon Tourism Foundation said, "With the reorganized big data, it was possible to conduct detailed analysis on 832 points of interest (POI) in Gangwon Province, including tourist sites, restaurants, cafes, mountains, and other specific places considered interesting or useful."