People participating in the world's largest treasure hunt, the 'Real Treasure Festival' organized by Gyeonggi Province, are sitting on the lawn listening to the explanation.
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 17th that more than 8,000 people participated in the world's largest treasure hunt, the 'Real Treasure Festival,' held for five days from the 12th to the 16th at the old Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building in Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, breaking last year's Guinness World Record of 3,000 participants.
The Real Treasure Festival is a unique content event using smartphones and digital immersive technology to find treasures, planned to revitalize the commercial district near the old government building, which had declined after the relocation to the new Gwanggyo government building.
To hunt for treasures, participants explored the old government building and the Paldalsan Dulle-gil trail. Many families, friends, and couples dressed in explorer-themed costumes according to the dress code event, making the venue more lively.
Gyeonggi Province presented quizzes about major provincial policies and the old government building as part of the treasure hunt, offering various prizes such as social economy products, Baedal Teukgeup coupons, and gifticons based on the number of treasures collected and rankings.
Special side programs such as 'Dungeon Treasure,' where participants interacted with professional actors in the usually closed bunker facility, and 'Catch the Treasure Thief,' where participants identified the culprit by viewing a montage of the treasure thief, attracted high interest from on-site participants, with same-day reservations fully booked.
In accordance with the 'Ordinance on ESG Practice for Gyeonggi Province Cultural, Sports, and Tourism Events,' Gyeonggi Province aimed to implement an exemplary ESG event by holding the opening ceremony on the lawn without installing a separate stage and creating a festival environment free of disposable products, thereby striving to reduce carbon emissions.
Additionally, promotional booths for 'THE Gyeonggi Pass' and 'Climate Action Opportunity Income' were operated to inform participants about policies that reward steps taken while searching for treasures.
Furthermore, to revitalize the local commercial district, booths operated by merchant associations were set up, and the number of participating stores increased, strengthening collaboration with nearby merchant associations. The range of products such as local gift certificates, discount coupons, and Baedal Teukgeup coupons was also expanded compared to last year, resulting in high satisfaction among both participants and nearby merchants.
Park Yeon-gyeong, Director of the Social Innovation Economy Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The Real Treasure Festival is a festival that anyone?families, friends, couples?can enjoy and an opportunity to promote the development and revitalization of the surrounding area. Next year, we will operate a permanent treasure hunt program within the social innovation space of the old government building to make it a treasure hunt pilgrimage site visited by many foreigners beyond Korea."
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