Last Year, '1.5345 Billion Tourists Visited Gangwon-do'

17.8%↑ YoY... Ranked 1st Among 17 Cities and Provinces Nationwide
Visits to Jeongseon 'Dorongi Pond' Increase by About 431%
'Gangwon Workation' and Abandoned Mine Area 'Untan Godo' Popular

[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] The total number of tourists who visited Gangwon Province last year was approximately 1.5345 billion, marking a 17.8% increase compared to 2021, ranking first among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide in terms of visitor growth rate.

The scale of tourists visiting Gangwon Province in 2022 surpassed 1.4 billion, recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels seen in 2019. The seasonal visitor ranking is summer, autumn, spring, and winter, in that order.

Untan Godo Trail No. 5
[Photo by Jeongseon-gun]

According to the '2022 Gangwon Tourism Trend Analysis' based on KT telecom big data released by the Gangwon Tourism Foundation on the 31st, visits to Jeongseon’s 'Dorongi Pond' among major contents activating Gangwon tourism increased by about 431% compared to the previous year, drawing attention.

Analysis of SNS-related search terms showed that 'Dorongi Pond' leveraged the characteristics of high-altitude terrain to offer sledding trekking as a tourism attraction, with visitors in their 20s being the largest group.

Visits to Pyeongchang’s 'Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Village' increased by about 134% compared to the previous year. The 'bobsleigh snow sled' course, differentiated by sharp curves, was highly popular among tourists.

Visits to Gangneung’s 'Indoor Ice Rink (Curling Center)' increased by about 248% compared to the previous year, with skating at the indoor ice rink emerging as a unique experiential tourism content.

Last October, 'Gangwon Workation,' which won the Gold Award in the Global Marketing category at the 'Asia Pacific Tourism Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2022,' contributed to revitalizing the domestic tourism market, which had been stagnant due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation.

Additionally, 24,171 people visited lesser-known mountains in five border counties of Gangwon Province (Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje, Goseong) and four mining-closed cities/counties (Yeongwol, Jeongseon, Taebaek, Samcheok), supporting the increase in tourists.

[Image source=Gangwon-do Tourism Organization]

Meanwhile, although the number of visitors in December last year decreased by 5% (about 500,000 people) compared to the same month the previous year, tourism consumption rather increased, showing a contrasting trend. The decrease compared to the same month last year was analyzed to be due to delayed ski resort openings caused by weather conditions.

According to the analysis, tourism consumption in Gangwon Province in December last year was about 164.1 billion KRW, with increases in food (16%) and leisure (15%) sectors, recording a 12% growth rate, an increase of 18.2 billion KRW compared to the same month last year.

The number of visitors by city and county in December increased in 10 cities/counties compared to the previous year, with Jeongseon County (27%), Sokcho City (12%), and Yanggu County (5%) leading. Among them, cultural and recreational tourism spots in Jeongseon such as Samtan Art Mine (142%), Arirang Center (95%), and High1 Resort (43%) also increased together.

Won Moon-gyu, head of the Tourism Marketing Office at the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, said, "Through big data analysis, we confirmed a green light for Gangwon tourism turning crisis into opportunity," adding, "We will actively promote tourism marketing in 2023 as well."