Gimpo, Pocheon, Yangpyeong, and Yeoncheon to Be Developed as 'Experience and Storytelling Convergence Tourism Cities'

Four regions in Gyeonggi Province?Gimpo, Pocheon, Yangpyeong, and Yeoncheon?will be developed as 'Experience and Storytelling Convergence Tourism Cities' with a focus on food and ingredients.

On July 17, Gyeonggi Province announced that it had selected these four cities and counties as the sites for the '2025 Northern Gyeonggi Food Tourism Promotion Project.' The province stated that, as early as this fall, it will begin offering related services to tourists, including promotional and attraction events.

In making its selection, Gyeonggi Province prioritized the northern region, which has abundant potential tourism resources but a lower number of overnight visitors compared to the southern region. Although Gimpo and Yangpyeong are located in the southern part of the province, they border northern cities and counties, and were therefore included for their potential synergy. The project costs will be shared equally between the province and the local governments.

Promotional poster for Gimpo City, which Gyeonggi Province has decided to develop as an 'Experience and Storytelling Convergence Tourism City'

By region, Gimpo City will develop a healing gourmet tour centered around the golden rice of the Gimpo Plain, gochujang, Makgeolli, and fresh seafood brought in from Daemyeong Port, under the 'Gimpo 5 Flavors Road' project. The main programs include: ▲ Mind and Rest Tour (Makgeolli brewery experience, walking along trails, etc.) ▲ Koreans Run on Rice Tour (rice mill cafes, etc.) ▲ Sincere Experience Tour (Hanji craft experience, Han River view restaurants and cafes, water parsley harvesting, etc.) ▲ Proud of Health Tour (rice cake making, etc.) ▲ Night View Bonus Tour (enjoying the nightscape at Raveniche, a famous night view spot), among others.

Promotional poster for Pocheon City, which Gyeonggi Province has decided to develop as an 'Experience and Storytelling Convergence Tourism City'

Pocheon City will promote the 'Nice to Meet You, Pocheon Flavor' project, focusing on its signature local specialty, Idong Galbi. The city plans to develop desserts using Idong Galbi and host cooking shows featuring renowned chefs. In particular, it is considering linking a 'Time Travel Walking Tour' set in the Idong Galbi Alley, which retains the atmosphere of the 1970s, with Pocheon's representative local festival, the Silver Grass Festival.

Yangpyeong County will create a food story map through the 'Yangpyeong Delicious Map' project, connecting the wild vegetable bibimbap street, health buffets, and rural experiences. Yangpyeong holds a wild vegetable festival every year in the Yongmunsan area. Gyeonggi Province plans to expand this into a gourmet tour by linking it with hands-on cooking classes and travel agencies, and to establish a Yangpyeong-style gourmet tourism brand.

Yeoncheon County plans to develop 10 types of local traditional foods, including 'Hand Axe Bread,' based on the Jeongok-ri site, where the first prehistoric hand axe in East Asia was discovered. The county will also hold a gourmet festival in connection with the festival at Yeoncheon Cheotmeorigori, which is part of Gyeonggi Province's tourism theme alley development project. In addition, Yeoncheon County will develop a baseball game related to the 'Yeoncheon Miracle,' the independent baseball team with the most championships (three) in Gyeonggi Province.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "According to last year's survey of foreign tourists by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 80.3% of foreigners visiting Korea cited gourmet experiences as their favorite activity." The official added, "We will enhance the synergy of the project by leveraging the rich natural scenery of Yeoncheon County, Gimpo City, Pocheon City, and Yangpyeong County, as well as content linked to support programs from Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization."