National tourism agency selects three leading festivals for support program

Food & Travel

Published: 14 Mar. 2024, 16:27

National tourism agency selects three leading festivals for support program

The Incheon Pentaport Music Festival at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park on Aug. 6, 2023 [YONHAP]

The Incheon Pentaport Music Festival, Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival, and Hwcheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival were selected as “Korea World Fest 3” by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on Thursday.

The three festivals will receive 660 million won ($501,215) each in subsidies as part of the government’s plan to attract 20 million foreign travelers this year.

Korea's tourism-boosting plan announced by Culture Ministry

A ceremonial walk on King Jeongjo's royal tomb in Suwon, Gyeonggi, as part of the Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival on Oct. 9, 2023 [YONHAP]

Some 30 of the 1,200 festivals nationwide applied for the honor.

The Culture Ministry and KTO said they would consult experts and develop customized marketing strategies for each festival, including transportation, accommodation, and multilingual services. The festivals may also be included in future tourist packages when traveling to Korea, and they will conduct public relations overseas.

The goal is to double the number of foreign travelers to each festival.

The Incheon Pentaport Music Festival was selected as it features around 50 performances by leading local and international artists, is easily accessible by public transportation and has abundant accommodation nearby, the Culture Ministry said. The ministry aims to turn the event into a Korean version of the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival.

This year, the Incheon festival will invite music industry insiders from overseas to encourage promotion abroad.

The Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival celebrates Korea's cultural heritage and has the most recognition among foreigners, according to the KTO. One positive feedback from visitors was the multilingual guides the festival provided.

People enjoy ice fishing during the Hwcheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Gangwon on Jan. 27. [NEWS1]

The Hwcheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, Korea’s biggest winter festival, will implement a hands-on program targeting Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern travelers.

Last year, the festival saw over 1.31 million visitors who spent 86.5 billion won.

The Culture Ministry and KTO will work jointly with Gangwon cities and counties to increase accommodation near the festival area, thereby increasing the number of foreign visitors from 80,000 last year to 150,000 by 2027.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]