Food and Entertainment Options Receive High Praise
Imsil County in North Jeolla Province successfully wrapped up the first 'Okjeongho Cherry Blossom Festival' of the Year of Visiting Imsil, held on April 5 and 6 at the plaza in front of the Okjeongho Suspension Bridge.
According to the county on the 7th, the Okjeongho Cherry Blossom Festival attracted an estimated 35,000 visitors.
The "Okjeongho Cherry Blossom Festival," the first event of the Year of Visiting Imsil, held on the 5th and 6th in the square in front of the Okjeongho Suspension Bridge, concluded successfully. Provided by Imsil County
This figure far exceeds last year's 20,000 visitors, indicating that the national reputation of Okjeongho in Imsil and its cherry blossom festival has grown significantly.
Among them, the number of paying visitors who crossed the suspension bridge to enter Bungeo Island Ecological Park reached 3,287 on the rainy 5th and 6,862 on the 6th, totaling 10,149 over two days, resulting in considerable tourism revenue.
Despite the inclement weather on the first day, about 15,000 tourists visited, and on the second day, the area was packed with crowds coming to enjoy the Okjeongho Cherry Blossom Festival under clear skies.
As a result, cheese sales and food booths at the festival also saw high profits. ImsilN Cheese and dairy products generated about 57 million KRW in sales during the festival, and the cafe inside the ImsilN Cheese House Okjeongho branch sold around 7 million KRW worth of coffee over the two days.
Additionally, the Ox Head Soup operated by the Unam-myeon Life Improvement Association sold 17.6 million KRW worth this year, up from about 10 million KRW last year, gaining great popularity.
Other food items such as cheese hotteok, odeng, tteokbokki, and chicken skewers sold at food trucks were also completely sold out on the second day, bringing smiles to vendors, and the local restaurants and businesses were bustling with visiting tourists.
Despite the festival taking place before the cherry blossoms reached full bloom due to abnormal weather, the large turnout is attributed to the nationwide popularity of the beautiful Okjeongho, the suspension bridge, and Bungeo Island Ecological Park, which helped console visitors disappointed by the late blossoms.
Furthermore, in celebration of the Year of Visiting Imsil, extensive media promotion and continuous marketing via influential social media channels targeting not only North Jeolla but the entire nation are credited with greatly contributing to attracting tourists.
Meticulously organized programs and festival layout, performances by popular guest singers, dance and singing contests, Pilbong Nongak performances, and unique attractions prepared by the organizers also received high praise.
The most concerning issue, traffic management, was also handled smoothly. The county, in cooperation with the police and fire departments, deployed over 100 safety personnel throughout the festival site to ensure a safe event without accidents, despite the large crowds.
In particular, to improve transportation convenience for tourists, additional temporary parking lots were secured and shuttle buses were operated more frequently between Ssangam-ri parking lot and the festival venue, greatly alleviating traffic congestion.
The county stated that although the festival has ended, the scent of cherry blossoms at Okjeongho is expected to linger. If you visit Okjeongho during the full bloom period, the circular road will be awash with pink cherry blossoms, turning every corner into a photo spot and allowing visitors to fully experience the spirit of spring.
County Governor Shim Min said, "I deeply thank all the visitors who came to the Okjeongho Cherry Blossom Festival, the first festival of the Year of Visiting Imsil," and added, "With the festival's success exceeding expectations, I am confident that we can achieve our goal of attracting 10 million tourists this year."
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