Tourism Spending Up 11% Year-on-Year
Travel Translates into Consumption, Consumption Fuels Local Vitality
297 Billion KRW in Card Payments Achieved During Campaign Period
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (hereinafter referred to as the province) and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the foundation) announced that the “Gangwon Tourism Consumption Revitalization Win-Win Campaign,” conducted in partnership with NH Nonghyup Card, led to tangible results in boosting local consumption, with both tourism spending and the number of card-paying customers increasing compared to the same period last year.
Infographic on the achievements of revitalizing tourism consumption in Gangwon. Provided by Gangwon Tourism Foundation
According to the foundation’s analysis of the campaign’s results, from November 12 to December 15, 2025, NH Nonghyup Card spending at tourism-related merchants within the province totaled approximately 29.7 billion KRW, an increase of 3 billion KRW (11.24%) compared to the same period last year. During the same period, the number of card-paying customers reached about 256,000, up by 19,000 (8.02%) year-on-year. The average spending per person also rose by 3,110 KRW, indicating that increased visitor inflow translated into actual consumption growth.
In particular, there was a notable rise in high-value customers who spent 100,000 KRW or more. The total spending by these customers during the same period was about 23.5 billion KRW, up by 2.4 billion KRW (11.46%) from the previous year. The number of high-value customers also grew by 7,179 (10.39%), demonstrating a shift in tourism structure from simple visits to a focus on longer stays and increased spending.
This campaign expanded inflow to the tourism consumption campaign through large-scale exposure, including online and mobile advertisements targeting cardholders nationwide, app push notifications, digital signage, and SNS channel promotions, totaling approximately 2 million exposures. Its significance lies in proving a structural model that not only attracts visitors but also leads to actual payments and high-value consumption.
The province and the foundation evaluated these results as clear evidence, in numbers, that a virtuous cycle of “attracting tourists → payment behavior → local consumption expansion” is indeed functioning. In particular, the growth of high-value customers has brought a tangible increase in sales for local small businesses and the tourism industry.
Choi Sunghyun, CEO of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, stated, “This campaign is more than a simple event-it is a case that numerically proves that tourist visits can translate into real spending and revitalization of the local economy. Going forward, we will continue to expand a sustainable win-win model that shifts Gangwon tourism toward longer stays and increased spending through cooperation with private platforms.”
Meanwhile, based on these results, the province and the foundation plan to further expand tourism consumption revitalization campaigns in partnership with card companies and platforms, and to implement customized tourism marketing that reflects the characteristics and consumption patterns of each region, thereby maximizing the achievements of the Gangwon Visit Year.
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