The Hwachun County in Gangwon Province is developing new experiences and food options to attract foreign tourists to the 2027 Hwachun Sancheoneo Festival. The plan includes combining security tourism with travel agency support to extend tourists' stay.
According to Hwachun County, a meeting was held on the night of September 30 in Gangnam, Seoul, inviting representatives from inbound travel agencies. About 40 officials from agencies targeting tourists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia attended the event. Inbound travel agencies are companies that plan and conduct domestic travel for foreigners.
Kim Se-hoon, the head of the foundation and county mayor, announced an incentive policy based on the size of group visits. He explained that new content, including Finnish-style saunas and drone and laser shows, is being prepared, along with food tailored to foreign tastes.
Efforts to connect travel agencies with local tourist attractions have been ongoing. Last year, ahead of the 2026 festival, a similar meeting was held in Seoul. During a familiarization tour for travel agency representatives, incentives for attracting group tourists and local attractions such as the Baegamsan Cable Car and the Peace Dam were introduced.
This announcement adds the development of experiences and food that cater to foreign preferences to the existing attraction methods, and it suggests expanding the scope of security tourism to include military experiences. The aim is to secure longer stays by combining festival visits with local tourism.
Travel agency representatives at the meeting suggested that linking the Sancheoneo Festival with year-round tourism programs, such as the Baegamsan Cable Car, could encourage foreign tourists to stay longer. They also requested that new festival content be made accessible for foreign visitors.
Mayor Kim stated, “Security tourism is a competitive content for foreigners, and we are preparing various attractions, including the Baegamsan Cable Car and military experiences, in conjunction with the festival.”
International promotion for the 2027 festival has been underway since the first half of this year. The county announced plans to promote and sell festival products through participation in the Taipei International Tourism Expo in May and visits to four major local travel agencies. The recent meeting in Seoul was a follow-up to overseas marketing efforts, discussing collaboration with companies that facilitate foreign travel domestically.
However, the announcement did not include details on the amount of incentives, specific conditions, the operation of saunas, drone shows, laser shows, or military experience schedules. These contents are part of the county's development and preparation plans, and further confirmation of specific operational details is needed.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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