'2025~2026 Gangwon Visit Year' Proclamation Ceremony Held

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) and Gangwon Tourism Foundation (CEO Choi Sung-hyun) held the ‘2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Proclamation Ceremony’ on the 25th at Hallym University Ilsong Art Hall.

Gangwon Province and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation held the "2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Proclamation Ceremony" on the 25th at Hallym University Ilsong Art Hall. The ceremony was attended by Kim Jin-tae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (center in the photo), Choi Seong-hyun, CEO of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation (to the left of Governor Kim), ambassadors from 11 countries including Finland, and over 400 participants including 18 mayors and county heads. Photo by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office

At the proclamation ceremony, more than 400 people including ambassadors from 11 countries such as Estonia, Laos, Peru, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Finland, mayors and county heads of 18 cities and counties, and heads of related organizations gathered to reaffirm their commitment to revitalizing Gangwon tourism. The ceremony was organized to designate ‘2025-2026 as the Gangwon Visit Year’ and to share cooperation and vision for its successful promotion.

Before the ceremony, Governor Kim Jin-tae had lunch with the invited ambassadors from 11 countries at Sejong Hotel, where traditional Korean food was served. At this occasion, Governor Kim greeted the ambassadors warmly and introduced Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province as “a hot spot not only for industry but also for tourism.” The ambassadors expressed great interest in Gangwon’s tourism industry and discussed various future tourism cooperation plans.

Following this, the proclamation ceremony began with a traditional drum dance performed by the provincial dance troupe, during which the ‘2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year’ brand identity (BI) was unveiled.

The 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year brand identity (BI) embodies Gangwon’s pristine nature and symbolizes the province’s characteristics where rest and activities can be enjoyed simultaneously. It combines the Taegeuk pattern and five colors representing five tourism belts, shaping the continuous image of Gangwon travel in a curved form.

The 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year is a project jointly promoted by the province, 18 cities and counties, and the foundation to attract domestic and international tourists intensively. Each month, one or two cities or counties will be selected as the travel destination of the month, and focused promotion will be conducted in connection with festivals and events in the respective cities and counties to attract tourists. The project plans to promote the ‘Gangwon Accommodation Grand Sale’ in partnership with online travel agencies, aiming to revitalize Gangwon-style stay tourism through support for accommodation products and discount tickets within the province. Additionally, sports tourism will be fostered through tourism programs linked to nationwide sports events, and sales and promotional marketing targeting domestic and international tourists will be strengthened.

Governor Kim Jin-tae introduced Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province as “the tourism capital of Korea, visited by 150 million people annually,” and highlighted its attractions by saying, “It boasts outstanding natural scenery and hospitality, the largest number of BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) tourist sites nationwide with 25 locations, is the holy land of K-POP, the most active place for workation, and hosts global festivals such as the Sancheoneo Festival throughout all four seasons.” He emphasized, “We are preparing various package promotions during the 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year, so I ask everyone to become ambassadors for promotion.”