Mayor Kim Hongkyu of Gangneung: "Leaping Forward as a Global Tourism City in the World Spotlight"

Gangneung Emerges as a Leading Global Tourism City
Number of Foreign Tourists Quadruples
Record-Breaking 1.37 Million Visitors During Chuseok Holiday
Gangneung Pulls Out All the Stops for International Tourism Competitiveness
"Goal: Top 100 Tourist Cities in the World by 2040"

Gangneung City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Kim Hongkyu) is accelerating its transformation into an international tourism city through initiatives such as a global tourism citizen campaign, successful hosting of international events, strengthening international tourism competitiveness via the MICE industry, promoting year-round stay-type tourism centered on beaches and local festivals, and implementing global marketing activities.

Gangneung City is conducting a global tourism citizen campaign. Photo by Gangneung City

First, Gangneung City is making every effort to secure international tourism competitiveness with the goal of becoming one of the world's top 100 tourist attractions by 2030 and one of the world's top 100 tourist cities by 2040.

The city operates a task force for the establishment of an international tourism city, which is responsible for carrying out five major strategies and fifteen key initiatives. This task force shares progress on 73 international tourism city projects and continues to identify new projects.

Together with the International Tourism City Citizens' Action Committee, Gangneung has continuously conducted a global tourism citizen campaign under the slogan "Creating a Kind, Honest, and Clean Gangneung." The city has signed relay action agreements with 36 organizations and institutions over 26 sessions, and has also run tourist welcome campaigns centered around Gangneung Station as well as promotional campaigns in major cities.

Customized tourism customer service training has been provided to more than 1,100 citizens and tourism industry workers over 19 sessions, helping to foster a culture of participation in the campaign, raise civic awareness, and improve the city's readiness to accommodate tourists-laying the foundation for Gangneung's leap as an international tourism city.

Gangneung has also significantly raised its international profile by successfully hosting international events such as the 36th Korea-Taiwan Tourism Exchange Conference, the 2023 Gangneung World Choir Games, and the 38th Korea-Japan Tourism Promotion Council. In addition, Gangneung was consecutively selected for the 2024 Regional MICE Industry Revitalization Project and the 2025 K-Convention Development Project, establishing a foundation to further strengthen the city's MICE industry capabilities.

As a result, as of November 2025, the number of domestic tourists visiting Gangneung has reached 30 million, while the number of foreign tourists stands at 291,000, representing a 2.4% increase compared to the same period last year. Notably, the number of foreign tourists has grown nearly fourfold from 73,000 in 2022, demonstrating Gangneung's emergence as a global tourism destination attracting visitors from around the world.

Gangneung is also developing a variety of tourism content to reinvent itself as a distinctive year-round destination, leveraging the beautiful East Sea coastline and its rich cultural heritage.

Gyeongpo Beach, which was selected as one of Korea's top three beaches in 2024, along with 18 other beaches in Gangneung, has seen the number of summer visitors double from approximately 1.56 million in 2022 to 3.06 million in 2025, thanks to popular attractions such as the floating bridge diving platform at Oribawi and the operation of seawater pools for families. Seasonal local festivals that showcase Gangneung's unique characteristics, such as the Gyeongpo Cherry Blossom Festival, Summer Festival, and Noodle Festival, have also boosted the city's reputation as a tourism destination, with festival attendance increasing from 325,000 in 2022 to 900,000 in 2025.

The "Gangneung Busking National Competition," first held in 2024, expanded its duration and support for participants this year, drawing 12,000 citizens and tourists to enjoy the event. The festival has established itself as a popular summer nighttime performance attraction at the Lake Square, enhancing the city's image as a place where music fills the air.

The "Gangneung Baugil" trail, a signature trekking course along the East Sea, received an enthusiastic response with the launch of new stay-type walking tourism products, including Donghae Line ITX train travel packages and a six-day, five-night Ultra Baugil walking program. To support the recent barefoot walking trend, the city has installed foot-washing stations and dust removers at seven locations, expanding conveniences for both citizens and tourists.

Additionally, the newly established Gyeongpo Visitor Center and Anmok Visitor Center in 2024 have been providing a variety of information to tourists visiting Gangneung. During the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, the city offered a range of attractions and experiences, including busking, traditional Korean music performances, folk games, and coffee and tea ceremonies, for both citizens and visitors.

The Korea-Japan Tourism Promotion Council held on December 10, 2024. Provided by Gangneung City

In particular, during the seven-day Chuseok holiday in 2025, Gangneung welcomed a record 1.37 million tourists-the highest number ever for a holiday period. On Monday, October 6, the city saw a single-day record of 238,000 visitors, injecting new vitality into the local economy, which had been sluggish due to drought.

Furthermore, through strategic and proactive global marketing, the city is widely promoting Gangneung's appeal in international markets to attract foreign visitors, thereby revitalizing the local economy and enhancing the value of its tourism brand.

The "Tour Bridge Gangneung" online travel platform, which connects individual foreign travelers with local travel agencies to create customized travel packages, allows foreigners to access one-stop services without language or payment system barriers. The operation of 50 foreigner-only tourist taxis has also improved the convenience and satisfaction of international visitors to Gangneung.

Gangneung has expanded its global network by participating in overseas exhibitions such as PATA Travel Mart, Japan Tourism Expo, ITB Asia in Singapore, and the Taipei International Travel Fair. The city has also laid the groundwork for stay-type tourism by holding inbound travel product contests targeting Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other key markets.

In addition, Gangneung is making multifaceted efforts to attract international tourists by strengthening online and offline promotion through SNS marketing with domestic and international influencers, supporting overseas OTA and broadcast location shoots, and utilizing a variety of media channels.

Mayor Kim Hongkyu of Gangneung City stated, "Building on the achievements of the past three years in our journey to become an international tourism city, we will further strengthen the global tourism citizen campaign and marketing activities, and continue to develop differentiated tourism content to grow as a world-renowned tourism destination."