Yeosu City Declares 'Global Smart Tourism City'... Establishes 'Bam·Di·Bul Street'

Inauguration Ceremony at Yeosu Marine Park on November 29... IT-Based Tourism Services at a Glance

Exciting Smart Experiences at 'Bamdibul Street' in the Marine Park Area Featuring Media Walls and Media Art

[Yeosu=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Cheol-hoon] Jeonnam Yeosu City (Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong) declared the launch of the ‘Smart Tourism City Yeosu’ at Yeosu Marine Park on November 29.

The launch ceremony was attended by Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong, Yeosu City Council Chairman Kim Young-gyu, provincial and city council members, Lee Hak-joo, Head of the Tourism Industry Division at Korea Tourism Organization, Lee Soon-mi, Co-chair of Yeosu Tourism Council, as well as officials from Jeollanam-do and Yeosu City.

The ‘Global Smart Tourism City’ refers to a city that integrates tourism and technology to provide IT-based tourism services and creates a convenient travel environment using smart devices.

This project was promoted following Jeollanam-do’s selection in December 2020 for the ‘Korea Total Tourism Package (KTTP)’ project.

The KTTP project aims to activate regional tourism by guiding foreign tourists concentrated in the metropolitan area to local regions, and was jointly promoted by nine ministries including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Yeosu City was selected as a core city for the KTTP’s ‘Smart Tourism City’ project and applied the five recommended smart tourism elements by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization, investing a total of 7 billion KRW from the provincial government, 2.8 billion KRW from the city government, and 3.5 billion KRW from the national government, totaling 7 billion KRW to establish various smart tourism infrastructures.

The city first created the ‘Bam·Di·Bul Street’ along a 1.5 km section from Yi Sun-sin Square to Yeosu Marine Park, where visitors can experience media walls, media art, interactive busking, and digital signage.

‘Bam·Di·Bul Street’ means a smart tourism street where the night sea and digital technology meet, experienced like fireflies, providing a smart experience alongside the beautiful Yeosu night sea.

The integrated tourism app ‘YeosuN’ will also be launched.

It provides easy access to scattered tourism information throughout Yeosu and supports integrated reservation and payment services for transportation such as KTX and flights, restaurants, tourist attractions, and specialty product purchases across Yeosu City all within one app.

Additionally, it will offer fun experiences in virtual spaces such as AR character catching and metaverse travel before the trip, as well as English and Chinese services for foreign tourists.

Currently, ‘YeosuN’ development is complete and is expected to be available from mid-December.

Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong said at the launch ceremony, “By integrating cutting-edge IT technology into tourism services, people can now enjoy convenient and smart travel throughout Yeosu City with just a smartphone,” adding, “The smart tourism city project is the third nationwide after Incheon and Suwon, and the first among basic local governments excluding special cities,” explaining its significance.

He continued, “As Yeosu tourism is smartly upgraded, I hope everyone will always support and cheer for Yeosu to leap beyond Korea to the world.”

Yeosu=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Cheol-hoon hss79@asiae.co.kr