Goyang City Urgently Needs to Attract a Hotel for the KINTEX Support Site, a Long-Awaited Project for 20 Years

Visitors to KINTEX Head to Nearby Cities... "What About Visitors with No Place to Stay?"
Expected 10 Million Visitors After Completion of Exhibition Hall 3... Accommodation Demand Less Than Half Met

As the number of domestic and international visitors to KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province rapidly increases, Goyang City is struggling with a shortage of accommodation infrastructure. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, KINTEX has quickly recovered to its previous levels. By attracting international events and large-scale exhibitions such as the Korea-Africa Summit, Gyeonggi International Boat Show, and Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition, annual visitors to KINTEX have exceeded 5.8 million, with foreign visitors estimated to be over 200,000. However, the lack of accommodation infrastructure near KINTEX remains a persistent issue, causing continuous dissatisfaction among visitors.

Kintex S2 Support Site. Provided by Goyang Special City

Recently, the domestic tourism hotel transaction market has regained momentum. While 2 to 3 years ago many hotels were converted into offices or closed due to COVID-19, the recent surge in foreign visitors to Korea has drawn attention to high-value assets, with the Grand Hyatt Hotel sold for 730 billion KRW and the Conrad Hotel for 415 billion KRW. The global K-content boom has increased interest in traveling to Korea, intensifying competition in the domestic hotel industry.

Goyang City also plans to sell the hotel site within the KINTEX support area (Daehwa-dong 2600-7, approximately 11,773㎡). This site was designated for accommodation facilities during the first phase of KINTEX development. Although efforts to sell the land have been ongoing since 2004, the sale has not been completed for over 20 years due to insufficient business plans and failure to meet foreign investment zone approval conditions. After legal disputes with the previous buyer were resolved in March 2022, resale was pursued, but the sale process is currently suspended and at a standstill.

Nevertheless, global hotel companies from both domestic and international markets have already shown active interest in the hotel site (S2) within the KINTEX support area, and if sold, a hotel with approximately 620 rooms is expected to be built.

KINTEX is currently promoting the construction of the third exhibition hall, scheduled for completion in 2027. After completion, the annual number of visitors to KINTEX is expected to exceed 10 million, but currently, there are insufficient accommodation facilities near KINTEX to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of attendees.

Additionally, many domestic and international visitors come to watch world-class large-scale performances such as K-pop concerts held at the nearby Goyang Sports Complex, further increasing accommodation demand.

According to the “Feasibility Study for the Construction of KINTEX Hotel and Parking Lot” conducted by KINTEX in 2023, an additional 3,316 accommodation rooms will be needed near KINTEX by 2032. Currently, accommodation facilities near KINTEX consist of only 1,248 rooms at Sono Calm and Kateuri Hotel. Even with the addition of 310 rooms from the KINTEX Anchor Hotel, scheduled to begin construction next year, the total number of rooms will be 1,558, which is less than half of the required accommodation capacity.

Currently, many visitors to KINTEX are unable to find nearby lodging and travel to Seoul or Incheon instead, resulting in lost opportunities for regional economic revitalization, consumption promotion, and job creation. The inconvenience of accommodation causes many visitors to leave for other cities, which acts as a critical weakness that prevents the MICE industry’s regional ripple effects from being maximized.

Goyang Special City is requesting the city council’s prompt cooperation and support for the sale of the KINTEX hotel site to revitalize the local economy and strengthen the international competitiveness of the MICE industry.

A Goyang Special City official stated, “As the sale of the hotel site becomes uncertain, the path to mutual growth for regional economic revitalization and KINTEX’s international leap is also blocked. Although there are unfounded claims that motels might be built, the site is clearly designated only for hotel construction, so there is no possibility of motels being established. We hope the sale of the hotel site will be promoted as soon as possible to resolve visitors’ inconveniences and enable KINTEX to secure competitiveness as a center for international exhibitions and events.”

Meanwhile, KINTEX plans to actively attract visitors by hosting major events in 2025 following 2024. In 2024, large-scale exhibitions and international events such as the Gyeonggi International Boat Show and Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition, which attracted over 100,000 visitors, were held. In 2025, events like the Seoul Mobility Show and Seoul Food Show, expected to attract more than 650,000 visitors, are anticipated to draw numerous domestic and international visitors.