Songpa District Ranks First in 'Korea Tourism City Competitiveness'... Sharp Increase in Foreign Tourists

Awarded the Grand Prize Among 255 Administrative Districts Nationwide

Songpa District in Seoul (headed by District Mayor Seo Kangseok) has been awarded the Grand Prize, achieving first place overall among 255 administrative districts nationwide in the ‘2026 Korea Tourism City Competitiveness Evaluation’ conducted by the travel and tourism research institute Yanolja Research.

Lake Cherry Blossom Festival. Provided by Songpa District.

This evaluation is notable for its ‘consumer-perceived’ approach, moving away from the traditional method centered on administrative indicators. Rankings were determined by analyzing emotional reactions based on big data from social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, covering 29,336 tourist sites nationwide.

According to Songpa District on June 25, the district ranked at the top in both the attractiveness category—which reflects tourism city awareness, reputation, and the emotional satisfaction of visitors—and in the overall ranking. Songpa District explained that it is recognized for its competitiveness not only as a tourist destination but also for the ‘experiential value’ it provides.

Behind this achievement lies the expansion of cultural and artistic infrastructure centered around Seokchon Lake. The district has transformed the lake area into a complex cultural space by establishing venues such as ‘The Gallery Lake’, the media exhibition space under Jamsil Lake Bridge called ‘Lake Bridge Gallery’, and the media art installation ‘The Sphere’.

Year-round festivals are also driving tourism competitiveness. The district operates seasonal tourism content including the spring ‘Lake Cherry Blossom Festival’, the autumn ‘Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival’, and winter events such as ‘Luminare’ and ‘Countdown’. Notably, this year’s cherry blossom festival attracted approximately 9.01 million visitors, a figure approaching the population of Seoul.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Songpa is also on the rise. The number of foreign visitors increased by about 900,000 over two years, from 2.12 million in 2023 to 2.98 million last year. The expansion of experiential programs, such as K-food cooking classes, familiarization tours, walking tours connecting Pungnap Market and Bangi Matgol, and nighttime cultural tourism commentaries, is believed to have contributed to this growth. Previously, Songpa District was also selected as the Best Tourism Special Zone in the ‘2025 Seoul Tourism Special Zone Evaluation’. Taking this award as an opportunity, Songpa District plans to further expand stay-type tourism content and strengthen policies that connect tourism with the local economy.

Seo Kangseok, Mayor of Songpa District, stated, “This award is the result of Songpa District’s tourism resources and cultural and artistic policies providing high satisfaction to visitors,” adding, “We will continue to promote tourism policies that enhance the value of our city brand and invigorate the local economy.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.