Donghae City Sees 41% Surge in Sunrise Tourists... 64,000 Visitors Recorded

Donghae City's Local Economic Impact Reaches 5.4 Billion Won in a Single Day

Donghae City in Gangwon Province announced on January 6 that, based on an analysis of vehicle license plate recognition CCTV data during the sunrise holiday period (December 31, 2025 to January 1, 2026), a total of 18,956 vehicles entered the Donghae area. Based on this figure, the city estimated that approximately 63,996 tourists visited for the sunrise holiday.

Tourists during the Sunrise Holiday in Donghae City. Photo by Donghae City

This analysis was conducted by compiling vehicle entry and exit statistics at the main access points in the city, Donghae IC and Mangsang IC. Of the 18,956 incoming vehicles, there were 16,182 passenger cars, 515 vans, 1,820 trucks, and 439 others. By access point, 11,903 vehicles entered through Donghae IC and 7,053 through Mangsang IC.

During the same period, the number of outgoing vehicles totaled 24,087, consisting of 20,325 passenger cars, 741 vans, 2,487 trucks, and 534 others. By access point, 13,292 vehicles exited through Donghae IC and 10,795 through Mangsang IC.

Compared to the same period last year (December 31, 2024 to January 1, 2025), when 13,435 vehicles entered, this year saw an increase of 5,521 vehicles, representing a rise of approximately 41%.

The estimated number of tourists was calculated by applying average occupancy rates for each vehicle type (three people per passenger car, thirty per van). As a result, the total number of sunrise holiday tourists was estimated at 63,996, including 48,546 passenger car tourists (16,182 incoming passenger cars × 3) and 15,450 van tourists (515 incoming vans × 30).

Additionally, applying the per capita same-day tourist spending of 84,000 won, as provided by the Korea Tourism Data Lab, the total estimated local spending by sunrise holiday tourists during this period is at least 5,375,660,000 won.

Tourists during the sunrise holiday. Provided by Donghae City

Lee Inseop, Head of the Safety Division, stated, "The trend of sunrise tourism, which had been declining over the past three years, has shifted to an upward trend this year. We believe this is due to a combination of factors, including continuous promotion of tourist destinations and favorable weather conditions."

He added, "We will provide data based on scientific analysis using CCTV records, which can serve as foundational information not only for the tourism sector but also for overall administrative work."