[Column] Gangjin County Tourism Must Shift from "Half-Price Trip" to a Stay-Based Economy

Kang Sungil, Public Relations Support Officer, Jeonnam Provincial Spokesperson’s Office

Sungil Kang, Public Relations Support Officer, Spokesperson Office, Jeonnam Province

Gangjin County, a small city in Jeonnam Province with a population of about 32,000, is drawing nationwide attention at the beginning of the Lee Jaemyung administration for its connection to South Korea's tourism policy. The county's innovative "Gangjin Anyone's Half-Price Trip" policy is emerging as a new solution for regional tourism in the country.

This policy, which encourages tourists to re-spend by returning half of their local expenditures (up to 200,000 won) in local currency, has generated hundreds of billions of won in economic impact with a budget of only about 2 billion won. It is being recognized as a successful model case in the fight against the crisis of local extinction.

However, to move beyond one-off success and achieve sustainable growth, new changes and attempts are necessary. The case of Branson, Missouri, a world-renowned entertainment tourism city in the United States, deserves close attention for this reason.

Branson, a small city with a population of about 12,000, attracts millions of tourists annually and has established itself as the "Live Music Capital of the World." The secret to its success lies in a paradigm shift toward private sector-led content and the establishment of a stay-based economic system.

Branson is even smaller than Gangjin County, which has a population of about 32,000, but there is a remarkable difference in the quality and scale of tourism. The core of Branson's tourism is the concentrated investment of private capital in more than 100 live show theaters, large theme parks such as Silver Dollar City, and high-value-added entertainment facilities like the Showboat Branson Belle. The execution of tourism budgets and policy leadership are also centered on governance based on the expertise of private organizations such as the Branson Chamber of Commerce and the tourism center.

In contrast, Gangjin County has leveraged its historical and cultural assets such as Dasan Chodang, Yeongnang's Birthplace, and Celadon, as well as rural experiences like "FU-SO," to attract tourists through the policy incentive of "half-price trips." In other words, while it has achieved policy-driven success, it still lacks large-scale, high-value-added content led by the private sector, as seen in Branson.

This comparison suggests three directions for Gangjin County's future development.

First, despite the success of the "half-price trip" initiative, Gangjin County faced issues with early budget depletion, which damaged administrative credibility. For sustainable growth, it is essential to introduce a big data-based tourism demand forecasting system to ensure stable budget management.

Additionally, similar to Branson's discount coupons, it is urgent to establish a "Gangjin Partnership Discount System" that reduces dependence on local government budgets and revitalizes the entire local economy. Private businesses in accommodation, dining, and experiences should voluntarily provide discounts to tourists, with the county supporting this as a platform, thereby increasing private sector participation and self-sufficiency.

Second, Branson extends tourists' stays and maximizes spending through nighttime tourism such as live shows and dinner cruises, as well as high-priced entertainment. Gangjin County also needs strategies to enhance the quality of stays beyond simple "FU-SO" experiences.

By combining entertainment elements with local cultural resources-such as permanent nighttime literary performances centered on Yeongnang's Birthplace or developing high-end gourmet cruises utilizing Gangjin Bay-the county can create added value. There should also be a parallel strategy to convert existing accommodations into workation (work + vacation) specialized spaces, thereby increasing the "resident population" who stay for extended periods.

Finally, the foundation of Branson's tourism success was the capability of a private sector-led Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). Gangjin County should strengthen private sector marketing and investment attraction expertise, centering on the Gangjin County Culture and Tourism Foundation. Furthermore, it should actively expand wide-area tourism linkage projects such as the "Gang-Hae-Yeong (Gangjin-Haenam-Yeongam)" project, and regularly operate city tour bus routes connecting major hubs like Seoul and Busan to overcome geographical accessibility challenges.

Gangjin County's "half-price trip" was a strategic policy move that reignited the fading spark of local revitalization.

Now, as Branson did, Gangjin County must complete an "economy of stay and consumption" by combining its historical and cultural assets with innovative policies. If the "half-price trip" has become an innovative model for South Korea's tourism policy, the "Gangjin-style Branson model" will be the future of regional economic revitalization in the country.