Advancing Tourism Convenience and Services Based on Public Transportation
Securing National Funding for Two Consecutive Years Through the Spread of Fair Tourism
The Gangwon Tourism Foundation (CEO Choi Sunghyun) announced on January 19 that it has been finally selected as a recipient for the second consecutive year of the "Regional-Led Tourism Service Competitiveness Enhancement Project," organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, securing approximately 80 million won in national funding. With this selection, the foundation will be able to further accelerate efforts to elevate the quality of tourism services in Gangwon.
Regional-Led Tourism Service Competitiveness Enhancement Project. Provided by Gangwon Tourism Foundation
The "Regional-Led Tourism Service Competitiveness Enhancement Project" is designed for regions to independently identify and address tourism service issues, thereby improving quality and competitiveness. Last year, the foundation focused on improving transportation accessibility, which had been the biggest inconvenience for walking tourists visiting Gangneung. By operating an online platform providing real-time public transportation information, designing travel routes tailored to the preferences of the 2030 generation, and offering themed tourism maps, the foundation successfully extended tourists’ length of stay and movement within the region, thereby boosting local consumption and demonstrating the effectiveness of the project.
This year, Gangneung is set to host major international events such as the World Masters Table Tennis Championships and the ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) World Congress, and the number of foreign tourists is expected to increase by more than 20% compared to previous years.
Accordingly, the foundation plans to upgrade the transportation information platform, which was established last year for domestic tourists, into a service specialized for foreign visitors. To this end, the platform will be equipped with multilingual features and provide maps for exploring local content tailored for foreigners, such as K-Food experiences and cultural heritage tours, creating an environment where foreign tourists can conveniently travel around Gangneung.
In addition, through the second year of the project, the foundation will collaborate with the Gangneung DMO (Destination Management Organization) to jointly conduct a campaign to eradicate price gouging, and will enter into fair pricing agreements with local tourism businesses (accommodations, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.) to build a sustainable regional tourism ecosystem, ensuring that both tourists and local residents can experience the tangible benefits of the project.
Choi Sunghyun, CEO of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, stated, "Through the advancement of this second-year project, we will help eliminate the dual barriers of language and transportation for foreign tourists visiting the province, strengthen readiness for major international events through fair tourism campaigns, and contribute to their successful hosting." He added, "We will operate 2026 as the Year of Visiting Gangwon, achieving both qualitative and quantitative growth, and make it the starting point for Gangwon Province to leap forward as a global tourism capital beyond Korea."
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