Suncheon Leads the Way as a Pet-Friendly City, Pioneering the 'Pet Tourism' Paradigm

Establishing Infrastructure for Pets Throughout the City, Including the Pet Culture Center
Creating Pet Playgrounds at Suncheonman Wetland and National Garden
Introducing the "Suncheon Daengdaeng Train" Pet Travel Package

Suncheon City Pet Culture Center. Provided by Suncheon City

On June 20, Suncheon City in South Jeolla Province announced its plans to promote a "pet-friendly city" where pets and people can live happily together. To achieve this, the city is gradually expanding related infrastructure throughout urban areas by establishing pet-friendly city facilities such as culture centers, playgrounds, and clinics.

In 2023, Suncheon opened the region's first Pet Culture Center combined with a public clinic. In March of this year, an outdoor playground opened nearby, bringing the total number of pet playgrounds operated by the city to three.

The number of visitors to the Pet Culture Center increased from about 6,100 in 2023 to 10,000 last year. Over the past year, more than 1,400 stray animals received medical treatment and care at the public clinic. Starting this year, the city has expanded medical services from stray animals to include pets belonging to vulnerable groups and, for the first time in the country, will also offer Sunday clinic hours.

In particular, while preparing for the 2023 Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo, the city created pet playgrounds at major tourist attractions such as Suncheonman National Garden and Suncheonman Wetland. These facilities have been well received not only by tourists visiting Suncheon but also by local residents walking their pets around the National Garden area.

Earlier this year, in collaboration with Korail, Suncheon introduced the region's first pet-exclusive train travel package, the "Suncheon Daengdaeng Train." In connection with this, the city also held a "Pet Day Event" on June 15, temporarily allowing pets to enter Suncheonman National Garden, which had previously prohibited pet entry.

Thanks to these diverse efforts to transform into a pet-friendly city, Suncheon was officially designated as a "pet-friendly tourist city" by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization in March last year.

Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu stated, "Pets are emotional companions and members of the family," adding, "Suncheon will continue to develop events to create a pet-friendly city where nature, people, and pets can coexist."