Yeongdeok Wellness Tourism Development Project
Recognized as an Outstanding Example of Tourism Policy
Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang Province achieved a remarkable feat by receiving the Grand Prize in the Tourism Industry category at the 2025 3rd Korea Tourism Policy Awards ceremony held at Seoul Tourism Plaza on September 16.
Yeongdeok County received the Grand Prize in the Tourism Industry category at the 3rd Korea Tourism Policy Awards ceremony. Photo by Yeongdeok County
Hosted by the Korea Tourism Policy Research Association, this annual awards event identifies outstanding tourism policies among local governments nationwide and serves as a platform for sharing innovative designs and implementation strategies for regional tourism policies.
Since 2019, Yeongdeok County has focused on wellness tourism, resulting in the selection of the 'Humanities Healing Center Yeomyeong,' which offers meditation and nature-based health experiences, as a 'Recommended Wellness Tourism Destination' by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization in 2020. In 2024, it was further recognized as an 'Outstanding Wellness Tourism Destination,' and in the same year, the Goraebul National Campsite was designated as a 'Gyeongbuk Wellness Tourism Destination.'
Additionally, Yeongdeok County has demonstrated its potential as an international wellness tourism destination by successfully hosting the 'Yeongdeok International H Wellness Festa,' centered on wellness and medical convergence tourism content, for three consecutive years.
Furthermore, to upgrade the Blue Road, which has established itself as a premier coastal trekking course, Yeongdeok County is making efforts to develop additional wellness attractions and content. These include the creation of various themed roads, the establishment of the Gwaneodae Wellness Landscape, and the development of the Yeongdeok Wellness Nature Healing Center, where visitors can experience one of the world’s top three natural healing therapies.
Based on these efforts, Yeongdeok County was selected as a K-Wellness City in 2024 and as a winner in the K-Brand category (Wellness Tourism City) at the 2025 K-Brand Awards. With this latest achievement of winning the Grand Prize in the Tourism Industry category at the 2025 3rd Korea Tourism Policy Awards, Yeongdeok County has once again proven itself as a leading wellness-oriented city representing South Korea.
County Governor Kim Kwangyeol stated, "As demand for healthy lifestyles continues to grow in recent tourism trends, we are striving to promote various wellness projects that combine healing content with our marine, forest, ecological, and cultural resources. Through the development of wellness tourism, we aim to overcome the risk of regional extinction and become the nation’s top wellness city," expressing his strong commitment.
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