Estimated Economic Impact of 260 Billion KRW
Approximately 540,000 Foreign Tourists Visited
The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, held for the first time in four years, was truly a 'crowd wave (人波萬波)' but concluded as a 'safe festival' with not a single safety incident.
Changwon City in Gyeongnam announced on the 3rd that the 61st Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, which ran for ten days from the 25th of last month, ended successfully.
The city advanced the opening date, anticipating cherry blossoms to bloom about a week earlier than usual due to higher average temperatures. Also, with the festival resuming after four years due to COVID-19, they expected an explosive travel demand and forecasted a record-high attendance of approximately 4.5 million visitors this year.
The prediction was accurate. On the opening day, March 25, the cherry blossom bloom rate in Jinhae-gu reached 70%, drawing crowds from the start.
By April 3, the number of visitors who enjoyed the beautiful cherry blossom festival at Jinhae Gunhangje exceeded 4.5 million. This figure is 400,000 more than in 2019, marking the highest attendance ever.
The economic ripple effect was estimated at 260 billion KRW, calculated based on the per capita spending of visitors in 2019 (37,500 KRW for local residents and 63,800 KRW for non-residents). This significantly contributed to revitalizing the local economy, which had been struggling since COVID-19.
Foreign tourists accounted for 12% of the total visitors, about 540,000 people, an increase of 200,000 compared to 2019. Notably, the number of tourists from the Chinese-speaking region increased significantly. Approximately 220,000 Taiwanese tourists visited, and on the 30th of last month, Lin Chenfu (林晨富), the Consul General of the Taipei Representative Office in Busan, visited the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival to promote continuous tourism exchange between Changwon City and Taipei.
As a traffic measure, about 15,000 temporary parking spaces were secured in military bases, schools, and government offices. The Yeojwacheon area, where tourists gather the most, was designated as a car-free zone and one-way street. Additionally, free shuttle buses and temporary bus-only lanes were operated on weekends to improve convenience for tourists entering the festival site.
Mayor Hong Nam-pyo said, “Although the expectations for the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival held after four years were high, the inconvenience to local residents must have been significant, yet their generous cooperation and support made it possible to conclude successfully. I sincerely thank the residents of Jinhae-gu, the police, fire department, navy, related agencies, volunteers, and staff who contributed to a safe and substantial Jinhae Gunhangje Festival.”
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