Gwangyang City Discusses Gwangyang Tourism Policies and Niche Development Strategies

The 2nd Tourism Promotion Committee's First Meeting: Finding and Promoting the Value of Gwangyang Color Heritage Resources

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] On the 27th, Gwangyang City held a meeting of the newly formed 2nd Gwangyang City Tourism Promotion Committee (Chairman Kim Myung-won, Vice Mayor) to discuss next year’s major tourism policies and COVID-19 response strategies.

Presided over by Vice Mayor Kim Myung-won at the Disaster Safety Situation Room, the meeting began with the appointment ceremony of the 15 members of the 2nd committee. The session proceeded with Tourism Division Head Lee Hwa-yeop presenting the key achievements of the 7th local government term, this year’s tourism policy directions, and major implementation plans, followed by gathering opinions from the committee members.

The city cited making the tourism industry a future strategic industry, large-scale tourism development projects by region, spreading the image of a tourism city, and establishing public-private governance as the main achievements of the 7th local government term.

Specific accomplishments included declaring last year as the ‘Year of Leap Forward for Gwangyang Tourism’ to promote the city as a tourism destination with citizens, establishing a basic tourism promotion plan to systematically drive tourism policies, founding a tourism council, and building a tourism cooperation center to create a public-private tourism cooperation network.

Additionally, the 7th local government’s five core pledge projects included phased construction of the Yi Sun-sin Bridge Beach Tourism Theme Street, completion of the Haeoreum Overpass, development of the Gwangyang tourism brand slogan ‘Gwangyang Travel that Shines Day and Night,’ and development of local products suited to the post-COVID tourism environment.

Next year’s major work plans aim to turn the COVID crisis into an opportunity and realize a tourism city that citizens and tourists can experience. Plans include discovering digital New Deal tourism convergence projects for COVID response, promptly expanding tourism infrastructure, supporting the construction of the Gubongsan Tourism Complex, developing tourism products that pursue ‘high quality, safety, and trust’ in the new normal era, and focusing on untact promotional marketing.

The digital New Deal tourism convergence projects will promote ‘Development of Gwangyang Digital Heritage Tourism Content,’ ‘Establishment of a Public Online Travel Product Purchase Platform,’ and ‘Creation of a Media Art Wall that Shines Day and Night’ to meet the demand for contactless tourism services in the COVID era.

The core tourism infrastructure project, ‘Yi Sun-sin Bridge Beach Tourism Theme Street,’ will complete nightscape lighting connecting five major bridges and the beach along Gwangyang Haebichi Road by the end of this year. The ‘Moonlight Beach’ project, which expands the shared waterside area along Haebichi Road into a leisure and cultural space, will be actively promoted.

For the Gubongsan Tourism Complex being developed by LF Networks, land compensation was completed this year, and full administrative support will be provided aiming for completion by the end of 2023.

Competitive tourism resources such as the zipline connecting Mangdeoksan to Baealdo Waterside Park along the Seomjin River’s Mangdeok Port and the Baealdo tourism-style island garden are expected to be completed by the first half of next year.

Along with these new tourism facility developments, customized tourism product development in response to changes in the tourism environment such as COVID-19, and comprehensive on- and offline promotional marketing for Gwangyang tourism branding, including untact new media marketing, will be intensified.

In particular, active support will be given to private-led DMO (Destination Management Organization) activities such as the Gwangyang City Tourism Council, Theme Travel 10 Selection Project Group, and Tourism Dure Project Group, which were launched on October 16, to strengthen Gwangyang’s tourism capabilities.

Travel writer Lee Jong-won, a committee member, said, “Gwangyang is a city of light, making it an optimal place in the COVID era,” adding, “It is necessary to promote Gwangyang’s unique charm and value through linking Yudang Park and Gwangyang-eup 5-day Market, developing food using gim (seaweed) and bulgogi, utilizing the history of Dosun Guksa at Okryong Temple Site, and strengthening promotion of Baegunsan forest.”

Lee Ho-yeol, head of the Cultural Marketing Research Institute and committee member, suggested, “With the formation of the tourism council as a region-led tourism governance organization, efforts should be made to improve private-led tourism reception systems and strengthen tourism promotional marketing to promote sustainable tourism revitalization.”

Lee Young-seok, director of the Jeonnam Tourism Association and committee member, emphasized, “While large-scale tourism development projects are important for revitalizing Gwangyang tourism, changes among business operators welcoming tourists are even more crucial,” adding, “Budgets for tourism promotion and education for tourism operators need to be further expanded.”

Chairman and Vice Mayor Kim Myung-won stated, “Our city aims to position ‘Baegunsan and Seomjin River during the day, and downtown nightscape at night’ as the direction of Gwangyang tourism, focusing on expanding scaled and differentiated tourism infrastructure and marketing.”

He continued, “Many of the opinions discussed and proposed today contain valuable content for the development of our city’s tourism, and we will actively accept them,” adding, “Please continue to provide constructive suggestions anytime.”

Meanwhile, the newly formed Gwangyang City Tourism Promotion Committee consists of 15 tourism experts from various fields, including university tourism professors, travel writers, and tourism association executives, who will advise on Gwangyang’s tourism policies and development plans for the next two years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.