Gyeongsangnam-do is shifting from a centralized promotional approach to a collaborative network involving 46 local institutions. The province announced the launch of the 'Monthly Gyeongnam Pick' project, which integrates and distributes promotional materials each month.
'Monthly Gyeongnam Pick' is based on the Gyeongsangnam-do Promotion Council, which was established last year and debuted in May. The council currently includes Gyeongsangnam-do, 18 cities and counties, public institutions, and private companies, totaling 46 members.
A key feature of this project is its participatory approach to content creation and its non-budget operation. Unlike the previous method, which focused on proposals from provincial departments, Gyeongnam Pick allows cities and institutions to recommend events and tourist attractions they wish to promote each month.
Recommended materials from each institution undergo an initial review by the provincial public relations office, followed by content refinement and timing adjustments with council members before final approval. There is no separate evaluation or scoring system for this non-budget initiative, and items not fitting the Gyeongnam Pick criteria will be promoted through the provincial website or social media.
The '2026 National Cultural City Expo' will take place from September 10 to 13 along the Miryang River. Following that, the 'Dinosaur World Expo' will be held at the Donghangpo tourist site from September 22 to November 1, and the 'Uiryeong Gigan Rich Flower Festival' will welcome visitors from September 24 to October 25 at the Uiryeong Patriotic Forest Park.
Additionally, experiential autumn tourism events are on the agenda. The Sancheong Herbal Medicine Festival, which was canceled last year due to heavy rain, will return from October 2 to 11 at the Donguibogam Village in Sancheong, and the Namhae German Village Beer Festival is scheduled for October 9 to 11.
As this initiative is still in its early stages, Gyeongsangnam-do plans to analyze digital metrics such as YouTube views and reach by the end of the year to determine the direction for next year's operations.
However, a lack of metrics to verify the project's success has been noted as a limitation. The public relations office currently does not possess offline data on actual visitor changes. There is a gap in empirical indicators to prove whether online promotional content translates into actual visits or festival participation.
To accurately assess the practical impact of Gyeongnam Pick, there are calls for the introduction of a comprehensive performance measurement system through data sharing with relevant departments.
Jang Su-hwan, head of the public relations office in Gyeongsangnam-do, stated, "We initiated Gyeongnam Pick to proactively promote key materials identified by each city and institution every month. We plan to discuss next year's direction after reviewing the promotional outcomes at the end of the year."
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* This article has been translated by AI.
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