Banwol and Bakji Island 'Purple Island' Awarded at UNWTO General Assembly
Competing with 170 Villages from 75 Countries Worldwide... 'Will Be a Catalyst for Tourism Revitalization Post-COVID'
(Second from the left) At the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly, Banwol and Bakji Islands in Sinan-gun were selected as the 'World's Best Tourism Village,' and Park Woo-ryang, the governor of Sinan-gun (second from the left), is receiving the award. ⓒ Asia Economy
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Banwol and Bakji Islands in Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, famous as the ‘Purple Island,’ have been selected as the ‘World’s Best Tourism Village’ by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
According to the county on the 3rd, the UNWTO held a general assembly on the 2nd (local time) in Madrid, Spain, and selected Banwol and Bakji Islands as the ‘1st UN World’s Best Tourism Village.’
The ‘Best Tourism Village’ selection project, launched for the first time this year by the UNWTO, evaluates and certifies villages around the world that are engaged in the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and sustainable development through tourism.
In the ‘1st UN World’s Best Tourism Village’ selection project, conducted as an international competition, 170 villages from 75 countries worldwide advanced to the finals and competed. Especially due to the symbolic nature of the first competition, the competition was fierce across continents and countries.
The world’s excellent tourism villages certified by the UNWTO are divided into three grades: ‘Best Tourism Village,’ ‘Best Tourism Village Improvement Program,’ and ‘Best Tourism Village Network.’ Banwol and Bakji Islands were selected as the highest grade, ‘Best Tourism Village.’
Park Woo-ryang, Governor of Sinan-gun, said in his acceptance speech, “This selection is significant in that the UN and the world recognized the efforts of 40,000 residents and Sinan-gun,” adding, “I dedicate all the joy and honor to the residents of Banwol and Bakji Islands as well as the people of Sinan-gun.”
Banwoldo and Bakjido, small islands in Anjwa-myeon, Sinan, are connected by a wooden bridge. Since the 7th local government administration, the county has created the ‘Purple Island’ themed around purple, inspired by the naturally growing purple balloon flower colonies on the islands to revitalize tourism. The wooden bridge, coastal walking paths, village roofs, walls of small warehouses, and even aprons, dishes, and coffee cups were made purple.
This is regarded as the first successful case in South Korea of creating a color image-making for an entire island. With the selection of Purple Island as the ‘UN World’s Best Tourism Village,’ Sinan-gun has gained a significant driving force for tourism revitalization in the COVID-19 era.
Additionally, with the ‘2022?2023 Jeonnam Year of Visit,’ Sinan’s islands are expected to emerge as a new tourism hub in Asia, including China and Japan.
Meanwhile, as the ‘Omicron’ variant of COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across all continents, Park Woo-ryang, Governor of Sinan-gun, traveled to Madrid, Spain, where the award ceremony was held, on the 30th of last month for a 4-night, 5-day schedule through Incheon International Airport with a minimum delegation of eight people: Jeong Gwang-ho, Jeonnam Provincial Council member (Sinan 2, Democratic), Kim Hyuk-seong, Chairman of Sinan County Council, Sinan County Council members Choi Mi-sook, Kim Yong-bae, Kim Ki-man, and Lee Dong-chi, Chairman of Sinan Nonghyup, without any aides.
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