65.01 Million Visitors to Gwangju... Achievements of the 'Year of Visiting Gwangju'

6.8% Increase from Previous Year, 5th Highest Growth Rate Nationwide
Comprehensive Tourism Task Force to Expand Stay-Type Tourism Next Year

The number of visitors to Gwangju in 2025, designated as the 'Year of Visiting Gwangju,' totaled 65.01 million. The Gwangju City Government believes that this has laid the foundation for achieving its initial goal of a '30 million urban user era,' and plans to continue its tourism policies next year by operating a comprehensive task force (TF).

Citizens are enjoying the festival along with fireworks at the Chungjang Festival held in the Chungjang-ro area of Dong-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Gwangju City

On December 28, Gwangju City announced that it had summarized the achievements aimed at advancing as a tourism city as the 'Year of Visiting Gwangju' comes to a close. According to the Korea Tourism Organization's Tourism Data Lab, as of the end of November 2025, the number of visitors to Gwangju reached 65.01 million, a 6.8% increase (4.11 million people) compared to the previous year. This is the fifth highest growth rate among the 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide.

Since the declaration of the 'Year of Visiting Gwangju' in March, Gwangju City has been implementing tourism revitalization strategies focused on linking international events, developing specialized tourism products, and integrated promotion and marketing.

In the first half of the year, the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising brought increased attention to Gwangju. Visitors to Jeonil Building 245 rose by 51% (56,000 people) compared to the previous year, and visitors to the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery increased by 15.5% (39,000 people). The total number of visitors to Gwangju in May rose by 19% (1.08 million people).

The upward trend in visitor numbers continued into the summer. From June to August, the number of visitors recorded double-digit growth rates for three consecutive months. In June, Gwangju ranked first nationwide for visitor growth rate, and in July and August, it ranked second and third, respectively.

In the second half of the year, events such as the Chungjang Festival, the G-Festa fall season, and the Honam Tourism and Culture Week were intensively held. The number of visitors in October increased by 29.8% (1.58 million people) year-on-year, marking the highest monthly growth rate of the year.

This 'Year of Visiting Gwangju' brought not only an increase in visitor numbers but also growth in stay-type tourism. The number of overnight visitors in 2025 increased by 5.9% (2.51 million people) compared to the previous year, and the average length of stay also rose. In October, the share of spending at campsites and pensions was 15.2%, and in November, domestic hotel expenditures increased by 10%. The average length of stay was 3,032 minutes (50 hours and 32 minutes), which is 525 minutes (8 hours and 45 minutes) longer than the national average, up 8.6% from the previous year.

The 'Year of Visiting Gwangju' began with a proclamation ceremony at Seoul Station in March. Gwangju City unveiled a new tourism slogan, 'Gwangju Has Arrived! ○○ Is Coming,' and rolled out year-round tourism promotion strategies. Major events such as the World Archery Championships, Gwangju Design Biennale, and the May 18 Democratic Uprising Grand Festival were linked with tourism promotion.

The 'Honam Tourism and Culture Week,' jointly organized by Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk, was also held as a collaborative model to spread autumn tourism demand throughout the Honam region.

Gwangju City introduced historical tourism linked to May 18 Democratic Uprising sites, humanities and arts tourism themed around 'The Boy's Path' in connection with author Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature, and sports tourism products related to the KIA Tigers baseball team. The city also strengthened on-site promotional booths and tourism information services.

This year, Gwangju City held six task force (TF) meetings for the 'Year of Visiting Gwangju' to coordinate integrated promotional strategies. At the meeting held on December 18, the following future tasks were identified: strengthening differentiated tourism content, increasing revisit rates, expanding accommodation, transportation, and convenience facilities, creating a citizen-participatory tourism environment, and advancing data-driven customized marketing.

To build on the achievements of the 'Year of Visiting Gwangju,' the city plans to continue operating a comprehensive municipal task force (TF) next year. Lee Seungkyu, Director of the New Vitality Promotion Headquarters, said, "We will ensure that the achievements confirmed during the 2025 Year of Visiting Gwangju are not a one-off event," adding, "We will maintain the TF collaboration system and link it with mid- to long-term tourism policies."