Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member Kim Yong-ho: "Need to Strengthen Internal Measures Amid Decline in Tourist Spending"

Kim Yong-ho, Jeonnam Provincial Council Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] There is a growing concern that visitor spending at cultural tourism festivals in the Jeonnam region is decreasing, highlighting the need for well-structured management that can contribute to revitalizing the local economy.

According to Jeonnam Provincial Assembly member Kim Yong-ho on the 9th, there were a total of 884 nationwide regional festivals held for two or more days last year, averaging 2.42 regional festivals per day. Among these, Jeonnam accounted for 12.1% of the total across 17 cities and provinces nationwide, ranking first in the country.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety discloses cost data for events and festivals with expenditures exceeding 500 million KRW for metropolitan areas and 300 million KRW for basic local governments on the Local Finance Integrated Disclosure System to prevent wasteful spending, as most festival and event expenses are consumptive costs unlike other investment projects.

Assembly member Kim Yong-ho demanded improvements through administrative audits, stating, “The total cost of 49 events and festivals in Jeonnam Province (including government and local government subsidies) was 35.579 billion KRW, but the project revenue was only 3.794 billion KRW, about one-tenth of the costs, which is very low.”

He continued, “It is necessary to review the festival projects, the Agricultural Museum, and the provincial library activation strategies within Jeonnam, and to prepare countermeasures for Jeonnam’s tourism and cultural policies, such as strengthening untact and non-face-to-face programs in the with-COVID-19 era.”

Furthermore, he emphasized, “In 2018, the average visitor spending at cultural tourism festivals was 49,187 KRW per person, which decreased by 8.3% compared to 53,661 KRW the previous year and is lower than the recent three-year average of 51,238 KRW. To encourage tourists to open their wallets in Jeonnam, the festivals must be transformed into stay-type tourism with substantial programs offering attractions, food, and experiences.”

He particularly urged, “It is essential to conduct thorough analysis and evaluation on how to utilize the festival budgets canceled due to COVID-19 and how to strategically plan festival programs suitable for the with-COVID-19 era, to establish differentiated festival plans that contribute to attracting tourists and revitalizing the economy.”

He also proposed, “As a measure to activate the provincial library and Agricultural Museum, which have seen a decline in visitors, communication with residents should be strengthened through non-face-to-face book lending services via the website and online programs through SNS.”

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