[Digging Travel] "Like a Scene from a Movie..." 'Igot' Gaining Attention as a Nighttime Tourist Attraction

⑭Gangneung Newly Spotlighted as a Night Travel Destination
Milky Way Spot 'Anbandegi' Visible at a Glance
Emotional Tour 'Starlight Walking' Popular Along Yunsul

It feels like the heavy snow that blanketed the world fell just the other day, yet already the warm breeze and sunlight announce the arrival of spring. A city filled with a sparkling night sky, the gentle sound of waves, and the subtle aroma of coffee. Gangneung, Gangwon-do, has recently gained new attention as a nighttime tourist attraction where visitors walk along the moonlight reflecting on the waves.

Anbandegi, Gangneung, Gangwon-do
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

The starlight of Gangneung has long been known to the public for the beauty of 'Anbandegi.' The blue sky that seems to stretch forward as if clouds are approaching, the green cabbages spread wide like grass on the ground, and the wind turbines turning in the distance all create a daytime scene at Anbandegi that looks like a frame from a movie.

The true charm of Anbandegi begins at night when darkness falls. As the sun sets and the sky darkens, twinkling small stars start to light up the darkness one by one. On clear nights, visitors can also observe the mysterious Milky Way pouring down right before their eyes.

"Would you like to go see the stars with me? I won’t go too far, but I will hold your hand tightly."

As in the lyrics of Jeokjae’s 'Let’s Go See the Stars,' star-gazing trips have recently become very popular, especially among the MZ generation. For them, Anbandegi is considered the must-visit holy place for star travel.

Located at the highest inhabited area, Anbandegi Village is a highland nicknamed the 'village above the clouds,' offering a full view of the stars in the sky. The best places to see stars here are known to be Mungye Observatory and Sunrise Observatory. While some tourists stay at village guesthouses, it is not uncommon to see people enjoying car camping near the parking lot by Mungye Observatory, a famous sunrise spot.

Anbandegi, Gangneung, Gangwon-do
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

The 'Yunsul Emotional Tour,' a walk along the sparkling ripples of moonlight reflected on the water under the night sky filled with emotion and beautiful scenery, was introduced by Gangneung City last year as a nighttime tourism program. It was operated as part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Nighttime Tourism Specialized City contest project.

The Yunsul Emotional Tour 'Gangneung Starlight Walk' is a program where visitors walk with expert guides through ▲the coastal area (Songjeong Beach Pine Forest Trail), ▲the open tourism area (Solhyang Arboretum), and ▲the urban area (Noam Tunnel to Wolhwa Street Night Market), receiving high praise for satisfying tourists’ senses in every way.

Noting that travelers fully enjoyed the city’s charm through walking, culture, and nighttime strolls, the city announced plans to operate various nighttime tourism programs to make Gangneung’s nights more enjoyable. These include the All Night Gangneung Club featuring nighttime writing and food culture experiences, Sinami Myeongju Alley Night Play for nighttime alley tours, and Gangneung Night Out, which consists of nighttime performance content, among others.

Fireworks display at the Gangneung Dano Festival. [Photo by Gangneung City]

As population decline accelerates, Gangneung is seeking ways to boost the local economy, which has been stagnant, by increasing the length of stay of tourists visiting the city, thereby expanding consumption and investment.

In fact, the risk of population extinction in the region has become a reality. According to a survey by the Korea Employment Information Service last year, there were 118 areas at risk of population extinction in South Korea. This means that more than half of the country’s cities, counties, and districts (228 in total) are at risk. The study explains that in areas with population decline, a 1% increase in tourism income leads to a 0.18% increase in employment and a 0.13% increase in local production. Tourism has thus emerged as an alternative to population growth.

In response, the government is promoting the ‘Nighttime Tourism Specialized City’ project to increase stay-type tourism. According to a nighttime tourism survey by the Korea Tourism Organization, nighttime tourism not only increases travel expenditure but also creates about 15,000 jobs annually.

With the popularity of Anbandegi and the Yunsul Emotional Tour creating successful examples of nighttime tourism programs, Gangneung plans to actively promote its image as a nighttime tourism specialized city by expanding various nighttime attractions and attractive experiential programs for both domestic and international tourists.