Inspire Resort opens in Incheon with grand hopes of becoming hit global attraction

Food & Travel

Published: 06 Mar. 2024, 17:10 Updated: 06 Mar. 2024, 22:21

Inspire Resort opens in Incheon with grand hopes of becoming hit global attraction

VIPs who attend the grand opening ceremony of Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, participate in the ribbon-cutting event on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

YEONGJONG ISLAND, Incheon — Eight years ago, Korean government officials and leaders of American casino and gaming company Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) gathered to seal the deal on an ambitious multibillion-dollar integrated resort on an island off the west coast of Incheon's mainland.

Their work finally came to fruition Tuesday as Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island held its official grand opening ceremony the same day.

Foreigners-only casino at Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon [INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

The event was attended by some 500 dignitaries and guests, including Korea’s Culture Minister Yu In-chon, the U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip S. Goldberg and the members of the Mohegan Council of Elders and Tribal Council of Management Board.

“This endeavor has been a journey of shared visions and aspirations between the Mohegan Tribe and the Republic of Korea,” James Gessner Jr., the chairman of the Mohegan Tribe and the MGE Management Board, said in his opening speech.

James Gessner Jr., the chairman of the Mohegan Tribe and the MGE Management Board, speaks during the grand opening ceremony of Inspire Resort in Incheon on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Inspire Resort is MGE's wholly-owned Korean subsidiary, scheduled to open in multiple phases until 2046 and develop a large-scale integrated resort complex on a 4.36-million-square-meter (46.9-million-square-foot) site at the International Business Complex, otherwise known as the IBC-III area, of Incheon International Airport.

The aggregate funds invested in its first phase alone amounts to some 2 trillion won ($1.6 billion), including 960 billion won in foreign direct investment. When fully operational, the first phase is expected to create approximately 3,000 to 4,000 jobs, according to the resort.

Currently open under this first phase are three five-star hotel towers with 1,275 rooms combined; a live performance arena with 15,000 seats; MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) facilities with the largest hotel banquet hall in Korea; a year-round indoor water park; a foreigner-only casino; a 150-meter (490-foot) immersive digital entertainment street; and Inspire Mall that combines shopping, dining and entertainment spaces.

Aurora, a 150-meter-long immersive digital entertainment street inside the new Inspire Entertainment Resort [INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

VIPs who attended the Inspire Entertainment Resort's grand opening on Tuesday take a photo before the ribbon-cutting ceremony [NEWS1]

It also plans to open an outdoor entertainment park spanning approximately 100,000 square meters, a 1,000-seat food court, an immersive content exhibition center and an indoor playground for children, all under Phase 1B that is said to open in the second quarter.

“I truly believe we can make Yeongjong Island a global tourism destination, and we ask for your continued support,” Inspire Resort President Chen Si said.

Inspire Resort President Chen Si gives a speech during the resort's grand opening ceremony on Tuesday in Incheon. [NEWS1]

Business aside, however, Tuesday’s evening foremost celebrated the conjoining of cultures, with vibrant representations of Koreans, Americans and Mohegans.

A slew of performances by members of the Mohegan Tribe and traditional Korean performance group MeganDang graced the event. There was also the tribe’s traditional Smudging ceremony to “honor people and the area and give them positive energy,” according to Gessner.

“Our journey here has been guided by the Spirit of Aquai, Mohegan’s guiding principle that emphasizes hospitality, mutual respect, collaboration and relationship building,” Ray Pineault, President and CEO of Mohegan, said. “This ethos is woven into the fabric of Inspire, reflecting our commitment to sustainability, community engagement and creating a space that respects the environment and fosters connections between people from all walks of life. Mohegan Inspire is poised to become a landmark destination and a catalyst for tourism, economic growth, and cultural exchanges, enhancing the region’s allure to visitors from across the globe.”

Traditional Korean performance group MeganDang performs during Inspire Resort's opening ceremony on Tuesday in Incheon. [INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

Mohegan musical group The Unity of Nations performs traditional tribal songs during Inspire Resort's opening ceremony on Tuesday in Incheon. [NEWS1]

The Mohegan Tribe, residing in the Thames River region in Uncasville, Connecticut, is a Native American tribe and a sovereign nation officially recognized by the U.S. Federal Government. In 1994, the U.S. Congress passed the Mohegan Nation (Connecticut) Land Claims Settlement Act and authorized the designation of the Mohegan Reservation area.

The Mohegan Tribe established a gaming business thereupon acquiring sovereign protection, to generate revenue for tribal welfare and economic development. Since opening Mohegan Sun Casino near the historic Fort Shantok above the River Thames in October 1996, the tribe has grown the development into an established integrated entertainment resort business with multiple properties.

Mohegan owns and operates integrated resorts across North America including Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania and Nevada in the United States, and in Niagara Falls, Canada. Inspire in Korea is its first outpost in Asia.

Ambassador Goldberg said this joint endeavor between Korean partners and an American — read, a Native American — company “captures the spirit of our two countries.”

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip S. Goldberg speaks during the grand opening ceremony of Inspire Resort in Incheon, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

“The economic relationship and investment between Korea is a two-way superhighway,” Goldberg said. “And today, we celebrate another major milestone in the U.S.-Korea investment relationship — the grand opening of the Inspire resort, one of the largest foreign direct investment ventures in Korea valued at $1.6 billion and expected to create more than 3,000 jobs.”

Culture Minister Yu shared his anticipation of the recently opened foreigners-only Inspire casino.

The ministry in January granted Mohegan Inspire the license for its international visitors-only casino — the first such license awarded in 19 years.

Korea now has 18 foreigners-only casinos registered with the Korea Casino Association. Kangwon Land Casino is open to Koreans as well.

“This doesn’t just mean one more casino has been added to the country, as the opening of Inspire’s gaming facility marks a significant milestone in Korea’s tourism industry,” Yu said. “I hope that Inspire Resort goes beyond opening its casino in Korea and makes a meaningful contribution to elevating Korea’s cultural tourism; and for this, it is vital that Inspire consistently invests time and energy to become a globally competitive Korean all-in-one resort.”

Visitors walk by Inspire Casino, Korea's largest foreigners-only casino that opened this month. [NEWS1]

Featuring some 150 gaming tables, 390 slot machines and a 160-seat ETG stadium across two floors, Inspire Casino is the largest foreigners-only casino in the country. It also has a dining section available exclusively to casino customers, including an original Cantonese fine dining Inspire Pavilion, and a VIP-only casino floor.

Reachable through just a few-hour flights from major neighboring cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and adjacent to Incheon International Airport, it is expected to attract overseas visitors and transit passengers.

Forest Tower Suite room at Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon [INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

Incheon International Airport Corporation CEO Lee Hag-jae hinted at the bright prospects for inbound tourism in Korea. According to Lee, Incheon airport recorded 56 million inbound visitors last year, recovering 80 percent of the demand from pre-Covid times in 2019.

“This year we expect to see a full recovery, but strive to go beyond and record 100 million passengers to Korea as we are working to expand Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. Pairing Terminal 2 with the resort will help turn Yeongjong Island into a place that connects people and businesses.”

Multipurpose hall Inspire Arena at Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon [INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

The resort’s 15,000-seat multipurpose hall Inspire Arena is also expected to attract a bulk of visitors, hosting K-pop events, live music performances by domestic and international artists, K-culture events and Esports competitions. Next up on the venue’s call sheet is Maroon 5, slated to perform on March 8 and 9.

It currently shares the title of the biggest concert venue in Korea, along with the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul. KSPO Dome is a gymnastics arena that was originally built for the 1988 Summer Olympics. All of the country’s live events requiring more than 4,000 people capacity have, in fact, been only held in either gymnasiums or sports stadiums.

K-pop boy band EXO is set to hold a fan meet at the arena on March 14. The arena will also open the World Table Tennis Champions tournament, where 32 top table tennis players including Korea’s Shin Yu-bin and China’s Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha will participate in the games, from March 27 to 31.

“Since the soft opening in November, the resort is already seeing more than 10,000 visitors on average daily and is poised to become a de facto iconic tourist destination in Korea,” Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said. “I do not doubt this collaboration between the Korean government and Mohegan will not only boost the local economy and tourism, but the resort will also become a landmark that will be the best of its kind in Korea.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]