Sinji Myeongsashimni Beach and Cheongsando See 40% Increase in Visitors
Expanded Tourist Spending Revitalizes Local Businesses
Wando County in South Jeolla Province is achieving both an increase in tourist numbers and revitalization of the local economy in celebration of the "2025 Visit Wando Year."
According to Wando County and the Korea Tourism Organization on July 31, the number of tourists who visited Wando from January to June this year totaled 3,727,000, an increase of 216,000 (6.2%) compared to the same period last year.
Wando County achieved significant effects in increasing tourists and revitalizing the local economy in celebration of the "2025 Wando Visit Year." Provided by Wando County
The rise in tourist numbers was driven by major spring tourism events. More than 112,000 people attended the "Cheongsando Slow Walking Festival," held from April 5 to May 4, and the "Jangbogo Seafood Festival," held from May 3 to 6. The number of visitors in May alone surpassed 780,000, setting a new record high.
Major tourist attractions such as Sinji Myeongsashimni Beach, Cheongsando, the Jangbogo Historic Site, and the Wando Marine Healing Center saw an average increase of more than 40% in visitors compared to the previous year. The expansion of consumption resulting from the influx of tourists has energized the local commercial district. The county cited "Wando Healing Pay" as its core policy.
"Wando Healing Pay" is a policy to encourage tourism consumption, which was fully implemented in March. It is designed to provide benefits to tourists when they spend on accommodation, food, and local specialty products. As of the end of June, a total of 9,320 teams participated in this policy, with their total spending amounting to 3.3 billion won. Of this, more than 2.58 billion won was spent within the local area.
The total amount paid through "Wando Healing Pay" reached about 700 million won. By category, restaurant spending accounted for 39%, specialty products for 34%, accommodation for 24%, and cafes for 3%. The county has especially noted the increase in spending on specialty products and accommodation even during the off-season months of March and April. This is evaluated as having led to a genuine boost in domestic demand, beyond just the effects of short-term events.
In addition, tourist satisfaction with policies being promoted by the county?such as the "Wando Healing Festa," passenger ferry fare subsidies, and discounts on paid tourist attractions?was found to be high. In a tourist satisfaction survey conducted from May 16 to 26, the majority of respondents gave positive feedback on the "Visit Wando Year" policy, and many expressed a strong intention to revisit.
Shin Woochul, the county governor, stated, "We will continue to implement sustainable tourism policies to create a healing tourism city and a place where people want to stay, based on our pristine nature and marine healing resources."
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