Receipts Become Park Golf Admission Tickets... Gumi’s Local Economy Thrives

Admission Without Reservation for Spending 50,000 Won
Monthly Visitors Double, Along with a Surge in Local Spending

An unconventional policy in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, has successfully achieved two goals: increasing the number of park golf users and promoting spending in local small businesses.

Since May 2025, Gumi City has been operating a "Receipt Entrance System," which allows non-local visitors to access park golf courses without a reservation if they submit receipts showing spending of at least 50,000 won at local restaurants, accommodations, or souvenir shops.

Overview of Gumi City Hall
[Photo by Gumi City]

By utilizing its park golf infrastructure—the largest in North Gyeongsang Province, with 288 holes across nine sites—the city has eased reservation competition while encouraging local spending.

A pilot program launched last year at five locations in township and district areas resulted in an average of 960 monthly users, with nearby restaurant sales reaching 12 million won per month.

Since expanding to eight sites in May 2026, both the average monthly number of users and local spending have more than doubled, reaching 1,920 users and 25 million won, respectively.

Gumi City plans to launch a "1 Night, 2 Days Park Golf" program that connects accommodations, dining, and sightseeing. The range of businesses eligible for receipt recognition will also be expanded.

The city will further strengthen support for local small businesses.

The scale of the New Hope Special Guarantee program was increased from 15 billion won in 2022 to 132 billion won this year, and Gumi is operating the first integrated support center for small business owners in North Gyeongsang Province.

Other measures to boost consumption such as support for local festivals and traditional markets, and expansion of the Gumi Love Gift Certificate, are also being implemented in parallel.

Jangho Kim, Mayor of Gumi, said, "I'm pleased that this idea can invigorate the local economy," adding, "We will continue to discover policies that provide practical help to local businesses."

This shift in thinking—using receipts as admission tickets—has proven effective as a lifestyle-focused economic policy that both attracts tourists and boosts local spending.

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