Both Counties Selected for "Regional Love Vacation Support Program" by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Up to 100,000 Won Reimbursement per Person: Virtuous Cycle for Local Small Businesses Expected
Park Jie-won: "A Lifeline for Small Business Owners... Will Seek Increased National Funding for Remote Regions"
Haenam County and Wando County in South Jeolla Province have been selected as final winners of the "2026 Regional Love Vacation Support Program," organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, marking the official beginning of the "half-price travel" era. This selection is expected to serve as a key catalyst for revitalizing tourism in areas with declining populations and fostering win-win cooperation with local small businesses.
According to Haenam County and Wando County on February 27, both local governments have been named as destinations for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's "Regional Love Vacation Support Program," which is being implemented for the first time this year. Under this program, when tourists travel to population-declining areas, 50% of their travel expenses-including accommodation, food, and transportation-will be reimbursed in the form of regional gift certificates.
The maximum amount reimbursed is 100,000 won per person, and up to 200,000 won for groups of two or more. This system creates a virtuous cycle by returning half of the travel expenses to tourists in the form of local currency, thereby encouraging spending within the region. Both counties will sign an agreement with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in March and begin full-scale implementation of the program starting in April.
Haenam County will allocate a total budget of 1 billion won for this project, including 300 million won in national funding. The county plans to promote tangible local economic revitalization by strengthening "stay-type tourism courses" that link major tourism resources such as Daeheungsa Temple, Ttangkkeut Village, and Usooyoung Tourist Site, as well as local specialties and traditional markets.
Wando County plans to actively leverage this new system as an extension of its existing "Healing Pay" program. The county aims to increase tourist satisfaction and boost local spending density by ensuring that the reimbursed gift certificates can be widely used at local accommodations, restaurants, cafes, specialty shops, and activity centers.
This achievement is being credited to close cooperation between the local community and the political sphere. Assemblyman Park Jie-won of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Haenam, Wando, and Jindo) has maintained continuous communication and negotiation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the respective local governments since accommodating a request from the Wando Tourism Association in December last year.
Assemblyman Park stated, "The selection of this project will provide tangible help for local small businesses and the tourism sector," and added, "Jindo County is also preparing to apply for the program in the second half of this year." He further emphasized, "We will work actively to expand the project budget, which is currently 1 billion won per local government, and to increase the ratio of national funding support for areas that are farther from the Seoul metropolitan area, like Haenam, Wando, and Jindo."
An official from Haenam County commented, "This selection is a result of our tourism sector's competitiveness being recognized externally. We will do our utmost to attract tourists by building a strong cooperative framework with local tourism businesses such as accommodation providers and experience villages."
A Wando County official also added, "Through the half-price travel support program, we will promote local spending, increase revisit rates, and use it as part of efforts to create a healthy Wando and encourage population inflow."
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