Goryeong-gun Tourism Association Chairman Kim Yong-hyun: "We Will Create a Global Cultural Tourism City Attracting One Million Tourists"

"We will transform Daegaya Goryeong into a global cultural tourism city attracting one million tourists."

Goryeong County in Gyeongbuk has launched an aggressive marketing campaign to attract one million tourists by revitalizing its tourism policy projects.

Last September, Goryeong County succeeded in having the 'Jisandong Tumuli' inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, becoming the 16th UNESCO World Heritage site in South Korea, following Seokguram Grotto, Bulguksa Temple, and Haeinsa Temple’s Janggyeong Panjeon.

Not only was it recognized for its unique evidence proving the existence of Gaya 1,500 years ago, but it also created an opportunity to promote the originality and superiority of Daegaya culture, securing a favorable position in the global tourism competition through cultural environment improvements.

Following this, the 'Goryeong Daegaya Festival' was selected as a Cultural Tourism Festival (2024?2025), marking a double celebration as it proudly entered the ranks of Korea’s cultural tourism festivals beyond being a local representative festival.

This is a valuable achievement where the long-cherished local festival of Goryeong was externally recognized for its cultural value and tourism marketability.

Moreover, Goryeong is entering a new turning point for a leap forward in history, culture, and tourism with the upcoming construction of the Moonlight Inland Railroad, a symbol of East-West harmony. This is expected to bring significant vitality to the local economy and a remarkable development in Goryeong’s tourism industry.

Kim Yong-hyun, chairman of the Goryeong County Tourism Council, which plays a solid central role in leading Goryeong’s tourism development, shared various ideas about Goryeong tourism.

Kim Yong-hyun, Chairman of the Goryeong-gun Tourism Association.

- What kind of organization is the Goryeong County Tourism Council?

▲ It is a private organization established in November 2016 under the Tourism Promotion Act and Goryeong County support ordinances.

It carries out tasks entrusted by local governments and promotes strategic tourism marketing to revitalize the local tourism industry. It organizes seasonal and themed festivals including the Daegaya Festival and aims to attract one million tourists this year through diverse and differentiated promotional activities.

It is also planning revenue-generating business operations for financial independence within the scope that does not infringe on the local private economy.

- Last year, Goryeong’s tourism industry grew dramatically, reaching 700,000 tourists. What was the background for this?

▲ Last year, Goryeong’s tourism industry underwent many changes and developments.

The strong support and backing from Goryeong County and the wholehearted voluntary participation of Goryeong residents played a major role.

The 'Daegaya Festival' boldly changed its name last year from 'Daegaya Experience Festival' to 'Daegaya Festival' and shortened the festival period from four days to three, focusing the event and expanding it into a festival anyone can enjoy.

As a hometown of the gayageum, it introduced diverse content such as the '100 Gayageum Performances' and nighttime programs, receiving great responses from tourists.

It is also promoting ‘win-win tourism’ by collaborating with neighboring local governments such as Dalseong County, Hapcheon County, and Seongju County. Last year, the Goryeong County Tourism Council and Hapcheon County Tourism Council agreed to cooperate by sharing event information between the two regions through win-win tourism.

The Goryeong County Tourism Council’s participation in the '2023 Hapcheon Vacation Festival' provided a great opportunity to promote Goryeong’s tourism products (craft beer, sausages, Argo) not only in Hapcheon but also to tourists from various regions. Behind the growth of Goryeong’s tourism industry lies unseen efforts.

The inscription of the Jisandong Tumuli as a UNESCO World Heritage site is a new landmark for the cultural and historical city of Goryeong. With active incorporation of historical storytelling, plans are underway to rapidly develop differentiated tourism products unique to Goryeong and tourism resources that align with changing travel trends.

- Are there any key projects for the new year?

▲ The 'Daegaya Festival' and the leisure sport amphibious vehicle 'Argo' can be highlighted. The 19th Daegaya Festival, Goryeong County’s representative historical and cultural festival, was proudly listed as a 'Korea Cultural Tourism Festival' last December, growing into a nationally recognized event beyond the region. As a result, it will receive national funding for two years, as well as support for domestic and international promotional marketing and improvements in tourist reception facilities.

This valuable outcome is the result of voluntary participation by local residents and the unified efforts of public officials.

The '2024 Daegaya Festival,' to be held for three days from March 29, plans to welcome tourists as a global festival beyond a Korean festival at the Jisandong Tumuli area, a World Heritage site, Goryeong Daegaya Museum, and historical theme tourism sites.

The amphibious leisure sport 'Argo,' which adds joy to travel, is a unique tourism product in Goryeong enjoyed by people of all ages, traveling along Anlimcheon and Hoecheon, Goryeong’s ecological resources.

Besides leisure sports, it is also deployed for natural purification activities in rivers and farm roads, wildfire suppression, and rescue operations, earning the nickname 'all-rounder.' Its popularity is so high that reservations are competitive, and it is expected to become a stepping stone leading the future of Goryeong’s tourism industry.

Night tourism and festivals are being promoted as new growth engines for tourism.

Recently, night tourism has been recognized as a key item for stay-type tourism, with local governments competitively attracting night tourists. The focus on developing night tourism content is to attract tourists who stay longer.

The longer tourists stay in the area, the more vitality is brought to the local economy centered on accommodations, restaurants, and cafes.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the direct spending effect of night tourism is 3.9 trillion KRW, and the production inducement effect is about 7 trillion KRW.

To specialize in night tourism, it is necessary to implement historical site storytelling, use educational, cultural, and artistic resources, and develop programs and infrastructure that can be enjoyed at night.

- As the leader of the Goryeong tourism project, how do you communicate and build teamwork with employees?

▲ The keywords for organizational innovation are communication, mutual respect, work efficiency improvement, responsibility, and promptness. Communication goes beyond simple conversation to understanding the other party, and I try to listen to employees’ voices during communication sessions.

In a horizontal and flexible culture, problems employees think about can be quickly recognized and addressed, which also improves work efficiency. Communication plays a core role in operating the organization and conducting work, so I have continuously tried to communicate while leading various organizations.

The motto of the Goryeong County Tourism Council is 'ONtong SOtong' (ON communication, SO communication). Going forward, we plan to increase luncheons for communication with employees and create various communication channels such as cultural events like baseball games and movie or performance viewings. Especially from this year, we will actively implement an incentive support system for performance.

Last year's RubCam Korea Red House visit event.

- Goryeong still has weak stay-type tourism compared to other regions. What are your thoughts?

▲ In 2024 tourism trends, related search terms such as 'healing' and 'wellness' showed an upward trend. Desired experiences include 'Oriental medicine,' 'natural forest healing,' 'beauty,' and 'healthy food.'

Tourists should not just visit and leave but stay overnight or longer to experience local culture and environment and heal.

Goryeong has various local experiences to induce stay-type tourism, such as the Jisandong Tumuli World Heritage site, Daegaya Museum, Daegaya Living Village, the nationally renowned Daegaya Traditional Market (held every five days), and experiences like making traditional Korean taffy and pounding rice cakes in Gaesil Village, gayageum performances and mini gayageum making in Gayatgo Village, tea ceremony experiences at Daegaya Daryeon, and strawberry picking. However, it is true that there is a shortage of accommodation facilities for resting.

Since the pandemic, the proportion of individual travel has exceeded 80%, shifting from group tours. Therefore, differentiated tourism products and accommodations suitable for family units are urgently needed.

With nearly 8 million domestic campers enjoying camping and leisure, and the pet-owning population entering the 10 million era amid low birth rates and aging, active demand for local tourism has emerged. Also, with overseas travel restricted, domestic tourism and interest in nearby areas have naturally increased.

We must continuously discover differentiated killer content reflecting changing tourists’ lifestyles and needs, especially urgently supplementing stay-type tourism infrastructure that combines history, stay, and food.

Additionally, Goryeong County faces many challenges such as improving gateways, replacing and maintaining aging tourist facilities, and expanding tourism capacity.

- Most Daegaya Festival visitors are domestic tourists. What strategies are there to attract foreign tourists?

▲ The Daegaya Festival is a differentiated festival where visitors can learn and enjoy the unique history and culture of Daegaya. Foreigners who had little interest in Daegaya history and culture would have found it difficult to experience otherwise.

To generate interest and curiosity and lead to festival visits, English promotional materials are produced and distributed, and continuous English promotional marketing is conducted through SNS and various media.

We plan to introduce a smartphone-based smart docent system at the festival site to help foreign tourists easily access and learn about Daegaya history.

Using the smart docent, not only foreign group tourists but also individual visitors can comfortably enjoy the festival environment. We will improve and expand convenience facilities for foreigners, strengthen safety management systems, and provide unique experiences of local culture and history to offer memorable experiences to foreign tourists.

- What are the current issues and problems in local tourism?

▲ There are surprisingly many artificially created tourist sites aimed at attracting tourists rather than authentic historical sites. Artificial tourism resources indiscriminately created by local governments tend to be ignored by tourists, leading to decreased interest and visits and neglected management, ultimately resulting in budget waste.

Nature-friendly tourist sites where healing and relaxation are possible are gaining more attention, as proven by many successful cases.

The uniqueness and identity of a region play an important role in travelers’ destination choices. In the local era, we must realize distinctive local tourism unique to Goryeong.

Win-win tourism with neighboring local governments has played an important role. Last year, after a meeting for win-win tourism with Hapcheon County Tourism Council, our Goryeong County Tourism Council participated in the '2023 Hapcheon Vacation Festival,' showcasing Goryeong tourism products and receiving positive responses from inbound tourists, enhancing Goryeong’s image and promotion.

In the future, we hope to strengthen cultural tourism competitiveness by collaborating with Dalseong County in Daegu City, which shares the Nakdong River, through joint performances with local artists, such as the '100 Piano Performances' presented by Dalseong County at Sammunjin Ferry and the '100 Gayageum Performances (Win-win Cultural Exchange Project)' highly praised at the 2023 Goryeong Daegaya Festival.

- What message would you like to give to the residents of Goryeong County?

▲ Thanks to your voluntary and active participation and wishes, the long-cherished dream of Goryeong County?the inscription of the Jisandong Tumuli as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the Goryeong Daegaya Festival’s selection as a Korea Cultural Tourism Festival?fills us with overwhelming emotion and pride.

Through these changes and developments, we will strive to attract more domestic and international tourists to Goryeong, the city of World Heritage.

Another promise I want to make is that the Goryeong County Tourism Council will operate in a differentiated and efficient manner through financial independence by conducting its own revenue-generating businesses (craft beer, sausages, Argo, etc.) without relying solely on local government subsidies. Together with the residents, we will vigorously advance for the city of World Heritage, Goryeong County.

Chairman Kim Yong-hyun reminded that the theme of this year’s Goryeong Daegaya Festival is 'World Heritage Goryeong Jisandong Tumuli.' The festival will be held for three days from March 29 to 31 at the Goryeong Daegaya Museum, historical theme tourism sites, and the Jisandong Tumuli area.