Donghae City Declares Leap to a "Lifestyle Stay Tourism City"... Launches Full-Scale "LOCAL STAY Donghae" Initiative

Based on 2025 Korea Tourism Data Lab
Visitors from outside the city up 6.9% year-on-year
Stay-type tourists also up 6.7%
Social media mentions up 36% year-on-year

Donghae City in Gangwon Province announced on the 23rd that, with the arrival of 2026, it has drawn up a new 2026 tourism promotion plan and will begin full-scale implementation with the goal of evolving beyond short-stay tourism to become a "lifestyle stay tourism city" where visitors directly experience the daily life and culture of the region.

View of Donghae City Hall.

According to the 2025 Korea Tourism Data Lab, the number of visitors from outside Donghae City increased by 6.9% year-on-year, with tourists aged 50 to 59 from the Gangwon and Gyeonggi regions accounting for the largest share. The number of stay-type tourists accompanied by overnight accommodation also rose by 6.7%, and in particular, one-night, two-day stays accounted for the highest proportion, indicating a shift from short, one-off visits to stay-oriented tourism.

Tourism spending also showed an upward trend. Even as tourism spending declined nationwide, tourism expenditures in Donghae City reached approximately 212.5 billion won, up 2% from the previous year. The main spending categories were food and beverage services (33.5%), retail shopping (26.3%), and land transportation (18.2%). In addition, the volume of mentions on social media increased by 36% year-on-year, indicating a significant rise in online interest in tourism. Based on these 2025 tourism promotion results, the city plans to push ahead in 2026 with strategies to maximize Donghae’s appeal and further increase the inflow of tourists.

The city has set the 2026 tourism promotion concept as "LOCAL STAY Donghae" and systematized its tourism promotion strategy into five key themes: "Look: see Donghae → Open: open up Donghae’s stories → Connect: connect Donghae’s stories and communicate with the world → Act: enjoy yourself in Donghae → Live: live like a local in Donghae."

With "LOCAL STAY Donghae" as the core keyword, the city plans to implement an all-encompassing tourism promotion strategy, ranging from upgrading tourism infrastructure and strengthening global marketing to enhancing experiential content.

(Look Donghae) The city will overhaul its entire tourist information system to significantly improve access to tourism information. It plans to create an environment in which anyone can easily obtain tourism information about Donghae by upgrading the tourism website and smart tourism information system, operating tourist information centers and unmanned information systems, and producing multilingual and Braille tourism promotional materials.

(Open Donghae) The city will actively promote Donghae’s unique tourism stories through familiarization tours, tourism briefings, creator-produced content, and media publicity. In particular, the "Relaxing Donghae" familiarization tour and content produced with new media creators will be operated as year-round promotional models, moving away from one-off promotional campaigns.

(Connect Donghae) Global marketing to attract international tourists will also be strengthened. In addition to participating in a tourism expo in Taiwan and operating a familiarization tour for travel agencies in Osaka, Japan, the city plans to introduce K-culture experience programs utilizing traditional Hanok houses to expand stay-type content for foreign tourists.

(Act Donghae) The city will activate experiential tourism content that links leisure, hands-on activities, transportation, and services. It plans to establish a tourism service system that encourages repeat visits through initiatives such as the "2026 Sea You Wanted" marine leisure program, incentives for small and group tourists, stamp tours, and the operation of city tour buses and tourist taxis.

Next, under (Live Donghae), the city will operate workation programs that combine work and rest, and will actively foster a model of everyday-life experiential tourism in Donghae by integrating experience programs linked to tourist attractions and ESG programs.

Mayor Shim Kyu-eon of Donghae City said, "In 2026, 'LOCAL STAY Donghae' will mark a turning point in which the city is recognized not merely as a place that tourists pass through, but as a city where they stay to directly experience Donghae’s daily life and culture," adding, "We will continue to pursue tourism policies that can be tangibly felt by both citizens and visitors."