Yeongdeok-gun Selected for '2024 Open Tourist Sites' Contest ... Improvement of Tourism Environment

Goesimin Folk Village and Goraebul Beach Secure 500 Million KRW in National Funding

Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongbuk, has been selected in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s ‘2024 Open Tourism Site Development Project’ competition, securing 500 million KRW in national funding for tourism environment improvement projects at two representative local tourist spots: Goraebul Beach and Goe-si Folk Village (National Folk Cultural Property No. 301).

Goraebul Beach.

The ‘Open Tourism Site Development Project’ aims to guarantee the tourism enjoyment rights of mobility-vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, and families with infants and young children. It mainly focuses on improving walkways in tourist facilities and introducing new content that can be experienced by people with physical difficulties.

The competition involved 30 tourist sites from 12 local governments, and the final project sites were selected through a total of three rounds of evaluation, including on-site inspections.

Through this selection, Yeongdeok-gun plans to combine the secured 500 million KRW in national funding with 500 million KRW in local funds to improve the walking environment so that anyone can enjoy the target tourist sites without inconvenience and to enhance the convenience of movement between major tourist spots.

Accordingly, at Goraebul Beach, experiential content such as wheelchair mats and water wheelchairs will be operated, and at Goe-si Folk Village, the entrance to the traditional houses will be improved to allow easy access for wheelchairs.

Additionally, Yeongdeok-gun plans to operate a barrier-free tour bus connecting major tourist sites so that everyone can conveniently enjoy the various attractions and activities in Yeongdeok.

For effective implementation and tangible results of this project, Yeongdeok-gun will finalize detailed project plans with the help of barrier-free (Barrier Free, an environment without obstacles) experts and conduct on-site consultations involving people with disabilities, aiming to officially launch the project early next year.

County Governor Kim Gwang-yeol said, “A tourism environment that people with disabilities and the elderly can enjoy without inconvenience becomes an even better tourism environment for non-disabled and healthy people,” adding, “Starting with Goraebul Beach and Goe-si Folk Village, we will do our best to make Yeongdeok a leader in ‘open tourism.’”