Incheon Island Tourism Products Popular... Attractive for High Cost-Effectiveness and Unique Experiences

Effects of Passenger Ferry Fare Support and Island Tourism Content Development

'Living Proudly on Incheon Islands' Soijakdo Product Banner [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] As the summer vacation season approaches, tourism products that allow travel to the islands of Incheon are gaining popularity.

According to Incheon City on the 8th, the two routes of the 'Incheon Island Theme City Tour'?Seonjae·Yeongheungdo, and Muido?which started operating last month, have all been fully booked for departures this month. The Ganghwado route has only a few departure products left for the last week of this month.

For the accommodation-type product 'Incheon Island Dodo(han) Living Experience,' reservations are rapidly progressing for departures through September and October. As of the end of last month, 228 out of the target 700 travelers have signed up, achieving a recruitment rate of 33%.

Earlier, on the 23rd of last month, the 'Juseomjuseom Music Concert' held at Deokjeokdo Seopori for the first time in three years attracted 5,786 online and offline viewers. Among them, about 10% of the 569 offline participants enjoyed the concert using the Juseomjuseom music concert package product.

The popularity of Incheon island tourism products seems to be partly due to their high cost-effectiveness.

The price of the 'Island Theme City Tour' ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 KRW (8,000 to 12,000 KRW for Incheon citizens), and the itinerary, which takes an average of 8 hours, includes major experience programs in each area or can be used at discounted prices. Moreover, children under 5 years old (one per household) are free.

The 'Dodo(han) Living Experience,' consisting of five products including Soijakdo, Deokjeokdo, Bureumdo, Jangbong and Sinshimodo, Baengnyeong and Daecheongdo, also receives accommodation cost support from Incheon City equivalent to about 43% of the product price. The product price ranges from 40,000 to 290,000 KRW, and Incheon citizens who receive ferry fare discounts can use the products at even lower prices.

In addition to planning and selling island tourism products, various island revitalization policies that the city has been steadily promoting are also showing effects.

The city supports ferry fares for Incheon citizens (80%) and residents of other cities and provinces (50%), and helps discover island tourism content and increase residents' income through the creation of tourism convenience facilities and island specialization projects.

Also, the Island Development Support Center faithfully fulfills its role as the control tower for island development through monitoring, on-site support and consulting, and capacity-building education.

An official from Incheon City said, "Various island revitalization policies, combined with the revival of tourism demand following the lifting of social distancing at the end of April, are helping island tourism regain vitality after the slowdown caused by COVID-19," adding, "We will participate in the Island Day commemorative event held in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, from the 8th to the 14th to widely promote the charm of Incheon’s islands."