Gyeonggi Province Aims to Raise FIT Visitor Rate from 10% to 30%

Gyeonggi Province has established and is implementing the '3.3.5.5 (Samsam-Oooh)' strategy to attract Free Independent Travelers (FIT).

The 3.3.5.5 strategy aims to achieve the following goals: ▲Increase the proportion of visitors to Gyeonggi Province from 10% to 30% ▲Increase the average length of stay from 2.13 days to 3 days ▲Raise the average spending per FIT traveler from 350,000 won to 500,000 won ▲Boost the FIT revisit rate from 34% to 50%.

Previously, in March, Gyeonggi Province formed a research team composed of experts from Gachon University, Gyeonggi Research Institute, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, Korea Tourism Organization, and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. Together, they developed the 'Gyeonggi Province FIT Response Strategy.'

The response strategy consists of four main implementation strategies?accessibility, tourism content, promotion and marketing, and tourism governance?as well as 18 policy tasks.

The implementation strategies include expanding shuttle and day tour services, promoting Gyeonggi tourism taxis, establishing a 'Gyeonggi Tourism Information Center' in Seoul as a hub, building a smart tourism infrastructure for foreign visitors, and improving regulations to expand accommodation infrastructure.

The content development strategy involves creating a Gyeonggi Tour Pass for foreigners, developing Gyeonggi-specialized experiential content, revitalizing DMZ tourism in Gyeonggi, developing camping tourism products for foreigners, creating signature food tourism content for Gyeonggi, and supporting the activation of industrial tourism.

The promotion and marketing strategy includes building and expanding a global integrated brand for Gyeonggi Province, promoting Gyeonggi tourism through outdoor advertisements, strengthening the operation of online promotional channels, implementing content marketing tailored to the MZ generation, and intensifying marketing efforts targeting FIT travelers.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province is working to establish a metropolitan tourism governance council for the capital region, with participation from Seoul and Incheon, in order to secure international competitiveness. This is in addition to the existing Gyeonggi tourism governance council, which includes cities, counties, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, tourism industry stakeholders, and research institutes.

Starting in 2026, Gyeonggi Province plans to launch new projects based on the most feasible tasks from the FIT response strategy. The province will also propose regulatory easing and policy improvements to the central government to address the shortage of accommodation for inbound tourists.

Jang Hyangjeong, Director of Tourism Industry at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We will take the lead in innovating Gyeonggi Province into a FIT-friendly environment and nurture diverse, high-quality tourism content so that inbound travelers can enjoy everything they desire?natural scenery, historical sites, urban culture, and more?in a truly special way."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the proportion of FIT travelers among inbound tourists to Korea increased from 77.1% in 2019 to 80.5% in 2024, indicating a growing share. However, the proportion of inbound tourists visiting Gyeonggi Province dropped from 14.9% in 2019 to around 10% in 2024, highlighting the urgent need for a strategic response.