Pet-Friendly Tourism City Pocheon... Captivating 15 Million Pet Owners

Leap to become a 'City People Want to Visit with Pets'
Operating 10 Pet-Friendly Tourist Spots and 97 Accommodations
Positive Reviews for Hantangang Dog Geo Touring and Merchandise Development Projects

Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Young-hyun) is operating diverse and distinctive pet tourism programs, emerging as a "city where people want to visit with their pets."

Baek Young-hyun, mayor of Pocheon, is conducting agility training. Photo by Pocheon City

In March, Pocheon City was selected for the pet-friendly tourism city creation project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Based on abundant infrastructure including 10 pet-friendly tourist spots such as Hantangang River, Pocheon Art Valley, and Sanjeong Lake, and 97 pet-friendly accommodations, the city operates unique pet tourism programs that have received great responses from tourists.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the average spending intention of tourists traveling with pets is 299,293 KRW for day trips and 421,933 KRW for overnight stays, which is about 3.7 times and 2.2 times higher respectively compared to non-pet owners. The economic ripple effect of traveling with pets is significant.

As the new tourism consumer group traveling with pets increases, Pocheon City aims to respond to new tourism demand and revitalize the local economy by creating a pet-friendly tourism city. The city is successfully implementing the first-year projects including △pet programs (Hantangang DoGEO Touring, one-day classes, agility competitions, etc.) △convenience facility construction (pet welcome center, certification of pet-friendly accommodations, etc.) △promotion and marketing (development of co-travel BI and goods, etc.).

Baek Young-hyun, Mayor of Pocheon (center), is cutting the ribbon for the 'Pocheon City Dog Playground Opening' with officials in Yongjeong-ri, Gunnae-myeon on the 25th of last month. Photo by Pocheon City

Pet-Friendly Tourism City: Pocheon, where pet owners, non-pet owners, and pets all happily coexist

The pet-owning population reached 15 million last year, emerging as a new tourism consumer group. Accordingly, the city operates programs to promote pet-friendly travel through the pet-friendly tourism city creation project. A "pet-friendly tourism city" means a place where people can travel with their pets and freely enjoy lodging, experiences, and tourism activities using various local tourism resources, where pet owners, non-pet owners, and pets all happily coexist.

Hantangang Dog Geo Touring. Provided by Pocheon City

Hantangang DoGEO Touring: A special Hantangang bus trip with pets

Hantangang DoGEO Touring is a program where visitors travel by bus with their pets to major tourist attractions in Pocheon, including Bidulginang Waterfall and Pocheon Art Valley, which are representative sites of the Hantangang UNESCO Global Geopark. Bidulginang Waterfall, which had previously prohibited pet entry, is now accessible. The DoGEO Touring is for small and medium-sized dogs under 15 kg and operates a total of 20 times until November.

Apple Picking Experience. Provided by Pocheon City

Dangdangi Apple Picking Experience: A one-day class with pets

The Dangdangi Apple Picking Experience, part of the pet-friendly tourism city project, is also receiving great responses. This program, held in a pet-dedicated experience zone within an apple orchard, allows participants to harvest five delicious apples from Pocheon with their dogs. A photo zone designed like an apple stand is also set up to create lasting memories together. It is available to the first 200 participants until November.

Petiquette Class. Provided by Pocheon-si

2024 Pocheon Hantangang Petiquette Class: Promoting a healthy petiquette culture

The petiquette class was held at the dog playground within the Hantangang Ecological Landscape Complex, where the Hantangang Garden Festa took place. Conducted over 11 sessions, the class involved students from the Food and Companion Animal Resources Department of Pocheon Ilgo High School, providing correction of problematic pet behaviors, training consultations, walking training, agility experiences, and pet grooming. This promoted petiquette rules that pet owners should follow and contributed to forming a healthy pet-raising culture.

Pet-Friendly Travel Kit for Traveling with Pets

A pet travel kit containing items necessary for traveling with pets such as waste pads, toys, insect repellents, and pet wipes is provided. This kit, featuring ‘Niju’ and ‘Roy,’ the pet-friendly tourism city characters developed by Pocheon City, offers convenience to pet owners visiting Pocheon.

Mayor Baek Young-hyun of Pocheon said, “We will do our best to ensure that both pet owners and non-pet owners visiting pet-friendly tourism city Pocheon can have a safe and enjoyable trip,” and added, “We will activate pet-friendly travel to lead the growth of the local economy and tourism industry.”