Region offers wide spectrum of tourist attractions
By Lee Hae-rin
Gyeonggi Province, in the vicinity of Seoul, is a popular one-day suburban getaway destination for Koreans thanks to its large number of attractions, but it is still off the beaten track for many foreigners.
In that respect, Cho Won-yong, CEO of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization (GTO), aims to introduce the lesser-known travel gems of the province to foreign travelers by enhancing interregional networks.
"Gyeonggi Province is huge and offers so many must-see attractions of all colors," Cho said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office in Suwon.
Housing 31 cities and counties and a population nearing 14 million, Gyeonggi Province is a mega municipality housing almost a quarter of South Korea's population. Since taking office last December, Cho has crisscrossed the province learning about its wide spectrum of lesser-known tourism assets and their particular themes.
For example, the northwestern side of the province is themed with peace and nature, featuring the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Imjingak Resort with its various Korean War-related artifacts and memorial monuments and the 1,635-meter-long tunnel dug by North Koreans.
The central and southern regions possess rich cultural and historical heritage, including UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Namhansanseong and Hwaseong Fortress, while the west coast boasts marine ecotourism, renowned for beautiful sunsets and foreshore seaside landscapes, he explained.
"It takes more than just one day to take a proper look at the region," Cho said. However, he admitted that traveling around Gyeonggi Province is still challenging for foreign travelers due to a lack of transport infrastructure.
The GTO's pre-pandemic survey of foreign travelers visiting 21 major tourist attractions from 2019 shows the province scored a five-star rating in overall travel experience, one of the top reasons being public safety.
The respondents said they chose to travel to the province based on family and friends' recommendations (67.1 percent), internet searches (60.1 percent) and media exposure (29.8 percent), with multiple choices allowed. But an overwhelming 86.7 percent chose not to spend the night, the survey reports.
"Most of our visitors are one-day trippers who take advantage of the region's geographic proximity to Seoul," he said. "Since Gyeonggi Province widely surrounds the capital, visitors tend to take a short timeout trip only to where there is less traffic, without spending the night."
Besides fostering accommodation options, Cho plans to make the travel experience more efficient and convenient by developing joint tour programs with multiple municipalities, based on his experience in the aviation industry.
While he led the PR department of Asiana Airlines from 2005 to 2012, the airline introduced special flight packages that allowed one-way travel between Korea, China and Japan, in collaboration with All Nippon Airways (ANA), Air China and Shanghai Airlines.
Launched in celebration of the Korea Visit Year 2010-2012 campaign, the promotion allowed interregional travel at prices about 44 percent lower than buying separate tickets and became a huge success, he explained, adding that he now plans to introduce the concept to bolster regional tourism, starting with a tour bus program.
EG Tour Bus is a foreigner-exclusive tour bus program built in 2017 with the slogan, "Explore Gyeonggi, enjoy Gyeonggi, exciting Gyeonggi." It departs from Seoul's key locations such as Seoul Station, Myeong-dong and Hongik University to multiple attractions in Gyeonggi Province, at reasonable prices ranging between $30 and $160.
The bus tour returned last month after a three-year hiatus imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with stronger connections to southern municipalities and featuring 12 renewed courses, one of which includes the DMZ in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire, he explained.
Cho looks forward to expanding and developing the network to an inter-provincial level and to creating joint programs and promotions, eventually connecting Gangwon Province, the Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island to Gyeonggi Province, with the goal of attracting 2.61 million tourists to the province this year and reaching 5 million a year by 2026.
"Take a stroll in the cities of Suwon and Yongin to experience the mix of history with urban life today. Get fresh air in the beautiful nature of Icheon and Yeoju tomorrow. The next day, you can enjoy the beauty of untapped nature at the DMZ in the north of the province," Cho said.
"A relaxing timeout with great diversity ― that's what Gyeonggi has to offer."
By Lee Hae-rin
 |
| Gyeonggi Tourism Organization CEO Cho Won-yong / Courtesy of Gyeonggi Tourism Organization |
In that respect, Cho Won-yong, CEO of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization (GTO), aims to introduce the lesser-known travel gems of the province to foreign travelers by enhancing interregional networks.
"Gyeonggi Province is huge and offers so many must-see attractions of all colors," Cho said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office in Suwon.
Housing 31 cities and counties and a population nearing 14 million, Gyeonggi Province is a mega municipality housing almost a quarter of South Korea's population. Since taking office last December, Cho has crisscrossed the province learning about its wide spectrum of lesser-known tourism assets and their particular themes.
For example, the northwestern side of the province is themed with peace and nature, featuring the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Imjingak Resort with its various Korean War-related artifacts and memorial monuments and the 1,635-meter-long tunnel dug by North Koreans.
The central and southern regions possess rich cultural and historical heritage, including UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Namhansanseong and Hwaseong Fortress, while the west coast boasts marine ecotourism, renowned for beautiful sunsets and foreshore seaside landscapes, he explained.
 |
| The sun rises over a pontoon bridge on Bukhan River in Yangpyeong, northeastern Gyeonggi Province, in this May 3, 2016 photo. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog |
"It takes more than just one day to take a proper look at the region," Cho said. However, he admitted that traveling around Gyeonggi Province is still challenging for foreign travelers due to a lack of transport infrastructure.
The GTO's pre-pandemic survey of foreign travelers visiting 21 major tourist attractions from 2019 shows the province scored a five-star rating in overall travel experience, one of the top reasons being public safety.
The respondents said they chose to travel to the province based on family and friends' recommendations (67.1 percent), internet searches (60.1 percent) and media exposure (29.8 percent), with multiple choices allowed. But an overwhelming 86.7 percent chose not to spend the night, the survey reports.
"Most of our visitors are one-day trippers who take advantage of the region's geographic proximity to Seoul," he said. "Since Gyeonggi Province widely surrounds the capital, visitors tend to take a short timeout trip only to where there is less traffic, without spending the night."
 |
| A flock of wild geese fly over a field of reeds in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in this Dec. 15, 2015 photo. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog |
Besides fostering accommodation options, Cho plans to make the travel experience more efficient and convenient by developing joint tour programs with multiple municipalities, based on his experience in the aviation industry.
While he led the PR department of Asiana Airlines from 2005 to 2012, the airline introduced special flight packages that allowed one-way travel between Korea, China and Japan, in collaboration with All Nippon Airways (ANA), Air China and Shanghai Airlines.
Launched in celebration of the Korea Visit Year 2010-2012 campaign, the promotion allowed interregional travel at prices about 44 percent lower than buying separate tickets and became a huge success, he explained, adding that he now plans to introduce the concept to bolster regional tourism, starting with a tour bus program.
 |
| A map of Gyeonggi Province's EG Tour Bus / Courtesy of Gyeonggi Tourism Organization |
EG Tour Bus is a foreigner-exclusive tour bus program built in 2017 with the slogan, "Explore Gyeonggi, enjoy Gyeonggi, exciting Gyeonggi." It departs from Seoul's key locations such as Seoul Station, Myeong-dong and Hongik University to multiple attractions in Gyeonggi Province, at reasonable prices ranging between $30 and $160.
The bus tour returned last month after a three-year hiatus imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with stronger connections to southern municipalities and featuring 12 renewed courses, one of which includes the DMZ in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire, he explained.
Cho looks forward to expanding and developing the network to an inter-provincial level and to creating joint programs and promotions, eventually connecting Gangwon Province, the Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island to Gyeonggi Province, with the goal of attracting 2.61 million tourists to the province this year and reaching 5 million a year by 2026.
"Take a stroll in the cities of Suwon and Yongin to experience the mix of history with urban life today. Get fresh air in the beautiful nature of Icheon and Yeoju tomorrow. The next day, you can enjoy the beauty of untapped nature at the DMZ in the north of the province," Cho said.
"A relaxing timeout with great diversity ― that's what Gyeonggi has to offer."
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