Local Festivals Attract Many Visitors from Adjacent Cities and Counties

Big Data Analysis of Icheon City's 'Hobeop Flower Festival'
Middle-aged and Older Adults in Their 50s and 60s Account for Half

Analysis showed that the main visitors to local festivals were residents of the respective municipalities or those living in neighboring cities and counties. Nearly half of the visitors were aged between 50 and 60.

Gyeonggi-do Icheon City announced on the 12th that the big data analysis results of the 'Hobeop Flower Festival' held at Hobeop Sports Park on September 28-29 showed this trend. The city explained that the analysis was conducted to ensure the successful hosting of next year’s event.

The analysis revealed that during the festival period, the number of visitors to the event site increased about 2.5 times for Icheon residents and about twice for outsiders compared to the five days before and after the festival. The visitor count excluded duplicate daily visitors, residents, and workers in the festival area, showing a higher increase rate of visitors from within the region than from outside.

The proportion of visitors by inflow area from cities, counties, and districts was as follows: 9.0% from Cheoin-gu, Yongin City; 6.0% from Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province; 4.4% from Yeoju City; 3.5% from Bundang-gu, Seongnam City; 3.1% from Giheung-gu, Yongin City; 2.3% from Songpa-gu, Seoul; and 2.3% from Gangnam-gu, Seoul. All these areas are either adjacent to Icheon City or have good road accessibility.

The age distribution of festival visitors was overwhelmingly dominated by those in their 50s and 60s. Visitors in their 60s accounted for 26%, and those in their 50s made up 23%, together comprising half of the total. Although local governments are incorporating various contents to attract younger generations to festivals, there remains a high dependence on middle-aged and older visitors. The proportion of visitors in their 30s and 40s was 26%, while those in their 20s accounted for only 11%.

The visiting times were ranked as follows: ▲12 PM to 3 PM at 32%, ▲8 AM to 11 AM at 25%, and ▲4 PM to 7 PM at 19%.

The city plans to develop effective festival promotion strategies and customized programs tailored to the visitors’ age groups based on this analysis. A city official stated, "We will continue to develop policies for the advancement of Icheon City tourism through various big data analyses."