Promoting Regions from Seoul to Boryeong... Seoul Tourism Foundation's Cooperative Tourism Wins Grand Prize

Regional Tourism Antenna Shops and Seoul-Boryeong Mud Train Linked
Minister of the Interior and Safety’s Award Received
238,000 Cumulative Visits to Antenna Shops, 895 Tourists Visited Boryeong via Mud Train

The Seoul Tourism Foundation's cooperative tourism initiative, which promotes regional tourism content and links it to actual visits and spending outside of Seoul, has been selected as an exemplary case of innovation among local public institutions.

At the awards ceremony for the "2026 Local Public Institution Innovation Excellence Cases" held on the 29th, Lee Eui-Young, Chairman of Korea Ratings·KR (left), and Lee Yoon-Hwa, Team Leader of Seoul Tourism Foundation, are posing for a commemorative photo after receiving the top prize. Seoul Tourism Foundation

On September 29, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation announced that their project, “Seoul Leads the Way: Creating Journeys That Revitalize Regions,” which connects “Regional Tourism Antenna Shops” with the “Seoul-Boryeong Mud Train,” has won the grand prize at the “2026 Local Public Institution Innovation Excellence Cases” awards, receiving the Minister of the Interior and Safety’s Award.

This project received high marks for expanding tourism demand concentrated in Seoul to other regions, and for connecting interest in regional tourism to actual visits and spending.

The Regional Tourism Antenna Shop is a regional tourism hub located on Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul. It operates facilities such as the “National Travel Hall,” which introduces tourism content and specialty products from all over Korea, and the “National Goods Shop,” which sells local merchandise.

The project provides exhibitions and programs where visitors can experience tourism content from different regions, and sells merchandise from local small business owners without commission fees, thereby providing regions with advertising and sales opportunities and introducing travelers to new destinations.

To date, the antenna shop has attracted a cumulative total of approximately 238,000 visitors, while participating companies have recorded cumulative sales of about 65.17 million won. According to user surveys, 96% of foreign tourists said their interest in regional tourism increased, while 82.6% of Korean visitors indicated they intend to travel to regional destinations within the next six months.

The Seoul Tourism Foundation also operated the “Seoul-Boryeong Mud Train,” aiming to turn the interest generated at the antenna shops into actual visits to the regions.

In collaboration with KORAIL Tourism Development and Boryeong City, the project created a tourism package that includes a round-trip train between Seoul Station and Daecheon Station, local connecting buses, tickets to tourist attractions and the Boryeong Mud Festival.

Programs were offered on the train so passengers could experience the Boryeong Mud Festival during the ride, and Onnuri gift certificates were included in the package to encourage spending at local markets, restaurants, and shopping districts in Boryeong.

The Mud Train operated a total of three times, bringing 895 domestic and international tourists to Boryeong. According to the Foundation, it did more than simply introduce regional destinations from Seoul; it created a tourism structure that moves from “awareness and experience → visitation → spending.”

The Seoul Tourism Foundation plans to further expand its cooperative tourism model, linking Seoul’s tourism infrastructure with regional tourism content across Korea.

Kim Byungmin, CEO of the Seoul Tourism Foundation, stated, “It is highly significant in that we have broadened the scope of tourism, enabling visitors to Seoul to experience the charms of our regions as well. We will continue to strengthen our role as a tourism platform connecting Seoul and local regions.”

Seongho Cho, Director-General of Tourism and Sports at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, “Seoul is a gateway where domestic and international tourists can discover Korea’s diverse appeal and extend their travels nationwide. We will expand our cooperative efforts with the regions so that tourism demand in Seoul can lead to regional visits and spending.”

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