Thanks to the 'Winter Festival,' Gangwon Tourism Regains Vitality

About 12.61 Million Tourists Visited Gangwon Province in January
Tourism Spending Approximately 182.5 Billion Won...16% Increase

Tourist destinations in Gangwon Province have regained vitality thanks to the winter festivals held for the first time in three years.

According to the recent big data-based analysis of Gangwon tourism trends conducted by Gangwon Province and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, the number of tourists visiting Gangwon in January this year was approximately 12.61 million, with a significant increase in visitors centered around winter festival venues compared to the previous year.

Snow Scenery of Taebaeksan Mountain
Photo provided by Taebaek City

The number of visitors in January increased by about 670,000, a 6% rise, which was attributed to the lifting of social distancing measures. Compared to the previous month (December 2022), there was an increase of about 2.1 million visitors, with the resumption of winter festivals and the rise in winter sports tourism cited as key factors.

The scale of tourism consumption recorded approximately 18.25 billion KRW, an increase of about 25.6 billion KRW (16%). By sector, increases were seen in transportation (53%), leisure (47%), accommodation (16%), and food (13%). Compared to the previous month, there was also an 11% increase, amounting to 18.4 billion KRW.

The number of visitors by city and county increased in 12 regions compared to the previous year and in 17 regions compared to the previous month. In particular, Hwacheon County (72% year-on-year, 87% month-on-month) and Taebaek City (30% year-on-year, 75% month-on-month) ranked at the top.

The main reason for the increase was analyzed to be the impact of the resumed winter festivals, with tourists showing a tendency to concentrate on tourist spots near the festival venues. Hwacheon Sancheoneo Coffee Museum (149%) and Yuilsa, a section of the Taebaek Snow Flower Climbing Competition (123%), showed high growth rates.

The number of tourists visiting 'Taebaeksan National Park' increased by approximately 214%. The most frequent related search term on SNS was 'Taebaeksan Snow Festival.'

The festival held around 'Dangol Square' within the national park greatly helped attract climbers and tourists who wanted to enjoy the snowy scenery. The increase rate of visitors in their 20s was the highest at about 194%.

Visits to Hwacheon's 'Santa Post Office' increased by about 161%, which was attributed to winter tourism marketing efforts promoted alongside the 'Sancheoneo Festival' since 2016. Many visitors came from Namyangju City in Gyeonggi Province, Songpa District in Seoul, and Seo District in Incheon.

At Pyeongchang County's 'Jinbu Traditional Market,' visitors increased by about 71% due to the month-long 'Trout Festival.'

Won Moon-gyu, Director of Tourism Marketing, said, "For the resumed winter festivals to lead to sustainable tourism revitalization, it is necessary to seek a turning point toward stay-type tourism."