Goheung Nokdong Drone Show Draws Over 180,000 Viewers, Generates 15 Billion Won Economic Impact

Final Performance on the 25th Watched by 10,000 People

Audience Amazed by Spectacular 1,000-Drone Show and Fireworks Display

Gongyeongmin, the governor of Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, announced that the ‘2023 Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show,’ launched as a nighttime sightseeing tourism product to promote Goheung’s image soaring as a mecca for drone and UAM demonstration cities beyond space, as well as to drive the era of 10 million tourists and revitalize the local commercial economy, successfully concluded on the 25th.

The Nokdong Port Drone Show is a regular free permanent performance held every weekend night for seven months since May, the first in Jeollanam-do since the launch of the 8th local government, featuring various themes and productions against the backdrop of the night view of Nokdong Port and Sorok Bridge.

[Photo by Goheung-gun]

The final Nokdong Port Drone Show performance took place on Saturday the 25th at 7 p.m. on the main stage of Nokdong Sea Garden, starting with pre-show performances including invited singers, followed by a short closing ceremony, a special drone show featuring 1,000 drones, and a multimedia fireworks show, all conducted as nighttime events.

The last performance of this year’s Nokdong Port Drone Show offered even richer spectacles with about 10,000 residents and tourists filling the Nokdong Port Sea Garden and the surrounding port area, adding significance to the event.

The county prioritized visitor safety and deployed over 60 personnel including public officials, police, coast guard, autonomous crime prevention squads, and model drivers’ associations to manage crowds and vehicle traffic around Nokdong Port, resulting in a successful event without any safety incidents.

Especially for the final performance, the drone show doubled the scale from the usual 500 drones to 1,000 drones flying in formation, creating a highly advanced and three-dimensional artistic light display, culminating in a spectacular drone show and a colorful fireworks light festival to close the grand finale.

The 15-minute drone show synchronized with music and the simultaneous light show drew continuous admiration and cheers from spectators scattered throughout Nokdong Port.

The drone show performance, which marked the finale of the closing ceremony, portrayed Goheung’s relentless challenges in the space industry and drone UAM aviation sector, leading the way in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, expressing the image of Goheung as a space aerospace hub city and receiving enthusiastic applause from the audience.

To watch the final Nokdong Port Drone Show this year, the eel street restaurants and seafood sashimi houses around Nokdong Port were packed with residents and tourists from early evening, creating a bustling crowd that greatly contributed to revitalizing the local commercial district until the very end.

A merchant operating a coffee shop near Nokdong Port said, “Every Saturday when the drone show is held, customers flock before and after the performance, and seats near the windows are booked early.” He added that the drone show has revitalized the Nokdong eel street and brought significant economic benefits through consumer spending.

Goheung-gun estimates that despite cancellations or postponements due to bad weather such as rain, about 180,000 visitors have come to Nokdong Port for Goheung tourism and to watch the drone show over just 23 performances so far.

Accordingly, the county analyzed that the Nokdong Port Drone Show has generated a total employment inducement effect of 1,050 local workers, a direct economic effect of 15 billion KRW in local commercial spending including restaurants and accommodations, and indirect effects such as promoting Goheung agricultural, marine, and livestock products as well as online and offline Goheung tourism, achieving tourism economic ripple effects.

Moreover, Goheung-gun internally analyzes that the drone show, as a distinctive nighttime tourism content added to the tourism infrastructure of Doyang-eup, Goheung’s representative weekend food tourism destination, has created direct and indirect economic synergy effects throughout the entire Goheung area.

Meanwhile, the drone show, performed against the backdrop of Goheung’s brand image as an open-air museum and its pristine natural night scenery, has become the hottest spot in the Goheung area within just a few months this year, appearing in search results on various portal sites such as Naver, Daum, and blogs, greatly contributing to promoting Goheung.

The Nokdong Port Drone Show has become a new Goheung tourism travel trend where visitors can heal by enjoying the pristine natural scenery during the day at the open-air museum Goheung, eat delicious food at Nokdong Port’s eel street at night, take a stroll at the artificial island Sea Garden, and watch the drone show performance while staying overnight.

The Nokdong Port Drone Show has become a representative weekend nighttime attraction and an essential nighttime course for Goheung tourism, gaining nationwide word-of-mouth in a short period, making Goheung synonymous with weekend nighttime sightseeing and the drone show, and becoming another brand of the open-air museum Goheung tourism.

In addition to being the optimal viewing spot for the drone show, the artificial island Nokdong Sea Garden, where lively busking performances take place, has become a hot and popular destination that tourists want to visit on their Goheung trip, creating an opportunity to be loved by visitors.

Governor Gongyeongmin said, “The Nokdong Port Drone Show has established itself as Goheung’s representative nighttime tourism killer content, shaking up the local economy and Goheung tourism with new changes and trends. It is a content with growth potential for local tourism revitalization, receiving positive responses and evaluations in terms of visitor satisfaction. We will prepare a richer performance next year to provide unforgettable memories.”

Goheung = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shim Jeong-woo hss79@asiae.co.kr