Gangwon Province and Gangwon Tourism Foundation Successfully Hold 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Forum
Visitor Numbers Up 3.1%... Innovative Proposals for Regional Collaboration and Personalized Tourism
Gangwon Tourism Prepares for Global Leap with Grand Prize Winner at "Ungiseok Diffuser" Goods Contest
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation announced on the 27th that they held the "2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Forum" on the 26th at the Sea Mark Hotel Bada Hall in Gangneung. This forum was organized to review the achievements of the past year since the declaration of the Gangwon Visit Year and to explore strategies for project implementation in 2026.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Gangwon Tourism Foundation held the "2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Forum" on the 26th at the Sea Mark Hotel Bada Hall in Gangneung and are taking a commemorative photo with the attendees. Photo by Gangwon Tourism Foundation
Over 100 participants attended the forum, including Kim Gwonjong, Director of the Tourism Bureau of Gangwon Province, tourism officials from 18 cities and counties in Gangwon, scholars, private tourism experts, and Gangwon Tourism Dure project operators. They discussed the future direction and development plans for the 2026 Gangwon Visit Year project.
The forum was led by Lee Taewoo, Head of the Domestic Tourism Team at the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, who presented the major achievements and progress of the 2025 Gangwon Visit Year project over the past year. Key points included an approximately 3.1% increase in visitors compared to the previous year (January to October), promotion of recommended travel destinations of the month, the Gangwon Tourism Accommodation Festival, the Gangwon Tourism Challenge, and the publicity outcomes achieved by linking various projects of the province and the foundation.
Following this, Professor Shim Changseop of the Department of Tourism Management at Gachon University delivered a keynote presentation on "Making Gangwon a Destination People Want to Visit," suggesting development directions for creating a unique, vibrant, sustainable, and high-quality Gangwon tourism experience where visitors can heal and recharge.
After the presentations, a comprehensive discussion was held, chaired by Choi Sunghyun, CEO of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, with the participation of experts in tourism, research, and strategy.
Shin Jaeyoon, Team Leader at the Korea Tourism Development Institute, emphasized the need to strengthen global recognition for the success of the Gangwon Visit Year. He proposed identifying tourist attractions appealing to international visitors, such as Museum SAN in Wonju and the birch forest in Inje, and enhancing the global brand competitiveness of Gangwon.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Gangwon Tourism Organization held the "2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Forum" on the 26th at the Seamarq Hotel Bada Hall in Gangneung. Provided by Gangwon Tourism Organization
He also suggested strengthening autumn content, implementing focused winter season marketing strategies targeting Southeast Asian tourists, and promoting wellness tourism. Kim Gyejung, Head of the Domestic Tourism Team at Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, mentioned the practical challenges faced in the field to achieve the goals of the 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year, while also expressing a strong commitment to improving individual visitor satisfaction.
Professor Jang Insik of Woosong Information University expressed high expectations, noting that Gangwon possesses abundant resources compared to other metropolitan governments also promoting visit year projects. He proposed providing individualized tourism by dividing it into detailed stages (transportation, accommodation, experiences) rather than focusing solely on a supplier-centered approach.
Professor Ryu Siyoung of Halla University pointed out that the regional tourism development index for Gangwon's cities and counties has not shown significant improvement compared to previous years, but suggested that the Gangwon Visit Year could serve as a turning point. He also recommended pursuing inter-regional cooperative projects, such as the Sok-Goyang Project (Sokcho, Goseong, Yangyang), to create models for joint growth and ensure long-term direction for the initiative.
Professor Shim Changseop of Gachon University encouraged Gangwon Province to take a more adventurous and bold approach in proactively implementing projects, confident in its tourism resources. He also suggested that the province and the tourism foundation work together to find ways to collaborate with local tourism experts.
After the forum, the "2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Goods Contest Award Ceremony," which was held in September and October to discover goods that capture the charm of Gangwon, took place. Seven teams that created goods highlighting Gangwon's unique appeal were awarded, with the grand prize going to "Soom, Gangwon's Gariwangsan (Ungiseok Natural Diffuser Set)," a healing-themed emotional goods product.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Gangwon Tourism Foundation held the "2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year Goods Contest Award Ceremony" on the 26th at the Sea Mark Hotel Bada Hall in Gangneung. Provided by Gangwon Tourism Foundation
Choi Sunghyun, CEO of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, stated, "Based on the opinions discussed at this forum, we will further refine the implementation plan for the remainder of the Gangwon Visit Year through 2026, and continue to promote large-scale tourism marketing, expand stay-type content, and develop models for mutual growth with local communities to strengthen the brand value of Gangwon tourism."
Kim Gwonjong, Director of the Tourism Bureau of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, said, "This forum was a valuable opportunity to determine the direction of the 2026 Gangwon Visit Year project. We will actively incorporate the expert suggestions into next year's tourism policies to ensure the successful completion of the 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year."
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