Word-of-Mouth on "That Place from SNS" Draws Over 1 Million Visitors to Cheese-Famous Imsil

Over One Million Visitors in May
Imsil County Sets New All-Time Record

In celebration of the '2025 Visit Imsil Year,' Jeollabuk-do's Imsil County saw a record number of tourists visit in May.

According to Imsil County on June 16, data from the Korea Tourism Organization Data Lab showed that 1,021,608 visitors came to Imsil last month, representing a 14% increase compared to the same period last year.

Crowd gathered at Imsil Cheese Theme Park. Imsil County Office

This figure is the highest monthly visitor count for Imsil County since the Korea Tourism Organization began compiling statistics in 2018, surpassing the previous record of 1,010,381 visitors in October 2023, when the Imsil N Cheese Festival was held.

The surge in tourist numbers is attributed to the designation of this year as the Visit Imsil Year, as well as a variety of events held at locations such as the Okjeongho Suspension Bridge, Bungoe Island Ecological Park, and Osu Dog Monument Tourist Site, including the Imsil N Pet Star and Children's Day celebrations. Even after these events, the spring flower displays at Bungoe Island Ecological Park, the Rose Garden at the Cheese Theme Park, and the Seongsusan Natural Recreation Forest continued to attract visitors.

Visitors to the Imsil N Cheese Festival are participating in a large rice pizza-making experience using cheese. Imsil County Office

In particular, it is noted that photos and short-form videos released by the county through social networking services (SNS) garnered significant attention, which translated into actual increases in tourist visits. Recently, content featuring spring flower destinations such as the Okjeongho peony field and the Cheese Theme Park Rose Garden accumulated a total of 310,000 views, while short-form videos, despite their brevity, achieved 110,000 views.

Shim Min, the county governor, stated, "As Imsil County becomes nationally recognized as a tourist city, expectations for achieving ten million visitors are rising. I am determined to further develop Imsil into a must-visit tourist destination in Korea through even more aggressive promotional efforts."