Jeonbuk Shifts from 'One City, One Specialty' to Ultra-Wide Tourism Zone

Simultaneous Promotion of Tourism Zone Planning and K-Tourism Development
Increasing Length of Stay and Expanding Tourism Consumption

Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province has begun formulating a strategy to link the tourism resources of each city and county into a single tourism zone, in line with the government's ultra-wide tourism policies. Building on the achievements of fostering specialized tourist attractions over the past decade, the province aims to transform its destinations into both stay-type and consumption-oriented attractions, laying out a long-term plan that considers securing national funds and entering the global tourism market.

Night view of Gogunsan Archipelago, Jeonbuk. Provided by Jeonbuk Provincial Government Office

On July 28, the Jeonbuk Provincial Government announced that it had established a strategy to actively respond to changes by simultaneously advancing tourism zone planning, the basic outline for regional K-tourism development, and mid-to-long-term tourism development plans.

Between 2015 and last year, Jeonbuk invested a total of KRW 227.1 billion to nurture representative tourism destinations across 14 cities and counties, including Deokjin Park in Jeonju and the Modern Cultural City in Gunsan. In addition, from last year through 2028, the province is carrying out a flagship tourism development project with a total budget of KRW 91.8 billion. Major initiatives under this project include establishing Gogunsan Archipelago as a renowned night tourism attraction, building the Okjeong Lake Skywalk, and transforming Sunchang into a K-Fermentation tourism hotspot.

Including the tourism resource development project worth KRW 434.1 billion scheduled until 2030, the total budget to be invested in expanding tourism infrastructure will exceed KRW 753 billion. Other ongoing projects include the creation of premium tourism destinations in Gogunsan Archipelago and the construction of the West Coast Blue Tour Belt, both of which are mayoral pledges under the 9th local administration, and together total KRW 148.7 billion.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Government plans to ensure its local tourism resources are reflected in the '5 Major and 3 Special Tourism Zones Project Plan,' to be formulated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism by the end of this year. Through this, the province aims to establish the groundwork for future national funding projects.

Preparations are also underway for the 'Regional K-Tourism Development Basic Outline,' a wide-area tourism development plan led by the locality. This project will designate major and minor tourism zones, with the total project budget reaching up to KRW 640 billion. The goal is to include 20 core projects, each worth around KRW 30 billion, as well as related linked projects.

Jeonbuk will discover new projects through collaboration between the Jeonbuk Institute and each city and county, complete a research study by December, and then submit the basic plan to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in March next year. Based on this, the government will establish a comprehensive global K-tourism development plan by the end of next year and launch full-scale business activities starting in 2029.

The province is also preparing a mid-to-long-term tourism development plan. The Jeonbuk Institute is currently drafting the 8th Jeonbuk Tourism Development Plan, which will be implemented from 2027 to 2031, with final confirmation scheduled for the end of this year. Throughout this process, the government will focus on strengthening strategies to organically connect tourist resources in each city and county, aiming to increase the length of stay for visitors and boost local consumption.

Shin Wonsik, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the Jeonbuk Provincial Government, said, "The reorganization of the 5 Major and 3 Special Tourism Zones and the regionally-led K-tourism development plan are opportunities to expand city and county tourism resources to the global tourism market," adding, "By taking proactive measures, we will secure national funding and discover new projects to make Jeonbuk a world-class tourist destination sought after by people from around the globe."

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