Imsil County Hosts 'FAM Tour' for Korea Travel Agency Association Members

Visits to Major Tourist Attractions Including Pilbong Nongak Training Center

Imsil County in North Jeolla Province hosted a familiarization tour (fam tour) on the 14th and 15th, inviting over 60 members of the Korea Association of Travel Agents to various locations throughout Imsil.

According to the county on the 17th, this fam tour was made possible through the Western Inland Tourism Development Project of the Jeonbuk Culture and Tourism Foundation. Participants included Lee Woonjae, president of the Korea Association of Travel Agents, as well as representatives from travel agencies in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and other regions.

Imsil County hosted a fam tour in the Imsil area on the 14th and 15th, inviting about 60 members of the Korea Travel Agency Association. Photo by Imsil County

The association members visited major tourist attractions in Imsil, such as the Jeonbuk 119 Safety Experience Center, Imsil Cheese Theme Park, Seongsusan Wangui Forest, and Pilbong Nongak Training Center, to develop new travel products for the region.

They conducted in-depth inspections by directly experiencing various programs that can offer attractive experiences to tourists, actively researching and discussing potential travel content.

In particular, they visited the Hanwoo restaurant at Okjeongho in Unam-myeon, which was completed on the 13th, and shared business know-how from a travel agency perspective with the restaurant owner. During the tour, a presentation on Imsil’s tourism business was held at the Jijeonghwan Hall in Imsil Cheese Theme Park. Notably, County Governor Shim Min personally gave a presentation promoting Imsil tourism, which received a great response.

Governor Shim Min stated, “Although tourism was once virtually nonexistent here, with the development of Imsil Cheese Theme Park and Okjeongho, our resident and visitor population grew from 4.98 million in 2018 to 8.88 million last year, an increase of 78%. This year, we aim to usher in the era of ten million tourists and establish Imsil as a major tourism hub.”

He continued, “At Imsil Cheese Theme Park, a star of Korean tourism, we hold an Aqua Festival in summer for water activities, the Imsil N Cheese Festival in autumn?which has been honored as one of the nation’s top three festivals alongside ten million blooming chrysanthemums?and a Santa Festival at Christmas in winter. Next June, we will hold a grand cheese festival in a beautiful European-style rose garden, completing Korea’s only four-season tourism festival.”

He added, “Since the opening of the Okjeongho Suspension Bridge on Bungeo Island, the ‘Treasure Island of Korea,’ in October 2022, over 1.32 million tourists have visited. Starting with the Okjeongho Cherry Blossom Festival on April 5th and 6th, colorful flower festivals will be held throughout all four seasons. In the future, we plan to build a 100-meter-high wooden observatory, a 3.5 km cable car, and a 200-room tourist hotel on Bungeo Island, as well as a beautiful flower garden on Jaraseom.”

Additionally, in Osu, known as the hometown of the loyal dog that saved its master, a world-class theme land for famous dog breeds is being developed around the Uigyeon tourist site. Plans are underway to build a renowned dog zoo and pet hotel representing over 100 countries, as well as a pet support center and camping site, making it a holy place for Korea’s 15 million pet owners.

During the presentation, cultural tourism commentator Kang Myeongja introduced the history and cultural value of Imsil County, and participants discussed the development of diverse tourism content and future cooperation plans.