Gyeonggi Province’s Support for Rural Experience and Recreation Villages Delivers Strong Results...Visitors Up 43%

Gyeonggi Province’s support for 10 festivals held in rural experience and recreation villages last year resulted in a 43% increase in visitors and a 10% increase in sales compared with the previous year.

On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province held a performance briefing session for the “Gyeonggi Village Economic Vitalization” project in the main conference room of the Gyeonggi Bio Center in Gwanggyo Techno Valley, Suwon, with about 80 participants, including officials from cities and counties, leaders and managers of participating villages, and representatives of experience farms.

The “Gyeonggi Village Economic Vitalization” project was promoted to support increased visitor inflow and higher sales at rural experience and recreation villages amid an economic downturn. In particular, it focused on encouraging local, stay-type consumption by supporting the operation of festivals and hands-on programs. It also worked to strengthen the competitiveness of rural tourism by developing tourism programs that utilize each village’s unique resources.

Last year, the province supported 10 locations for rural revitalization (linked to festivals), and provided activity expenses for experience programs to 44 experience villages and 8 experience farms, which led to increases in both visitor numbers and sales.

From September to December, when festivals were held at the 10 rural revitalization sites, the total number of visitors reached 315,245, up 43% from 220,832 in the same period a year earlier. Sales came to 4.91 billion won, a 10% increase from 4.47 billion won in the same period of the previous year.

In a satisfaction survey, 93.5% of 388 respondents said they were satisfied with the festivals, and 93.8% indicated their intention to visit again.

At the performance briefing session, eight villages that participated in rural revitalization, including Incheogol Village in Anseong, Saedungji Village in Yeoncheon, Dandelion Theater Village in Hwaseong, Chorokmiso Village in Pyeongtaek, Sumi Village in Yangpyeong, Pumshilchae Village in Yeoju, Neulhyanggol Village in Yeoju, and Achimgoyo Pureun Village in Gapyeong, presented their festival case studies.

Dandelion Theater Village in Hwaseong held the 1st Ssam Festival in October last year, creating experiential plays based on residents’ stories and offering programs such as dietary-improvement theater play, threshing and rice-milling experiences, and sales of agricultural products. Through this, the village achieved 13.5 million won in direct sales and 7.9 million won in farm experience income, as well as creating local jobs.

Sumi Village in Yangpyeong hosted the Bingsongeo Festival, operating a variety of hands-on programs such as smelt and trout fishing, snow sledding, and steamed bun making. Last year, it contributed to revitalizing the local economy with total sales of about 48 million won and 16.3 million won in farm experience income.

Paek Jongmin, Director General of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Life Science Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said, “The Gyeonggi Village Economic Vitalization project has become an opportunity to breathe new life into the depressed rural tourism sector,” adding, “We will continue to support experience villages so that they can become the center of local communities, and will actively reflect on-the-ground feedback to promote policies that enhance both self-reliance and competitiveness.”