Festival Hit by 'Corona'... Local Economy Also 'Frozen'

6 out of 7 Winter Festivals in Gangwon-do Abruptly Canceled... 1 Under Review
Tourism Revenue Lost: Hwacheon 300 Billion KRW, Pyeongchang 39.6 Billion KRW, Inje 5 Billion KRW

Winter Festivals in Gangwon Province (from left in the photo) Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, Inje Bingeo Festival, Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival [City/County, Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), festivals in Gangwon Province, the Winter Kingdom, are being canceled one after another or significantly scaled down.

The Inje Icefish Festival, Pyeongchang Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival, and Trout Festival were canceled early on, and the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, scheduled to be held on January 9 next year, is also virtually left with only the cancellation decision.

Except for some events planned in an untact (non-face-to-face) manner, local governments in Gangwon Province are facing an unprecedented winter without festivals.

Local governments, which have endured difficulties since January this year due to the COVID-19 situation and hoped for economic recovery with the end of COVID-19 around the end of the year, are now devastated as confirmed cases surge in the third wave.

According to our coverage on the 18th, among the seven major winter festivals in Gangwon Province, five, including the 'Pyeongchang Trout Festival,' have been canceled, and the 'Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival,' which was under review, is also heavily leaning toward cancellation. The 'Cheorwon Hantan River Ice Trekking' is still under consideration for whether it will be held.

A tourism marketing official from the province expressed regret, saying, "Local governments in Gangwon, which heavily rely on tourism income, are suffering significant damage due to festival cancellations," and added, "There are limits to support at the provincial level under the COVID-19 situation."

Pyeongchang County lost about 39.6 billion KRW in tourism revenue due to the cancellation of the 'Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival,' which attracts about 100,000 visitors annually, and the 'Trout Festival,' which was selected as a cultural tourism festival for two consecutive years since 2018.

A Pyeongchang County official said, "Due to the crisis of the third wave, following the cancellation of summer and autumn festivals, the winter festivals were also inevitably canceled," and added, "We are considering various alternatives to revive the depressed local economy."

Inje County also faces a reduction of about 5 billion KRW in tourism revenue due to the cancellation of the 'Icefish Festival,' which attracts about 200,000 visitors annually. Considering the population of about 32,000, a significant impact on the local economy is expected.

An official from Inje County's Culture and Tourism Department stated, "To alleviate the difficulties of residents caused by the festival cancellations, the budget originally planned for festival events will be used as a second disaster relief fund."

He added, "It is time to develop tourism content utilizing natural resources rather than consumptive events," and continued, "Inje County plans to expand the birch forest to create more attractions and establish a tourism system linked with national parks, such as the Hangye Mountain Fortress trail, which can attract tourists all year round."

Hwacheon County, which attracts more than one million tourists annually to the 'Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival,' achieves a direct economic ripple effect of 140 billion KRW and a total economic effect of 300 billion KRW.

However, at this time, when festival promotion and preparations should be in full swing as in previous years, the festival-related budget has been drastically reduced, and although no official announcement has been made, the event is moving toward cancellation.

Moreover, the approximately 70 tons of Sancheoneo fish prepared for the festival have become an immediate headache to handle.

An official from the Sancheoneo Festival Foundation said, "Apart from administrative work, no actual festival preparations are being made," and added, "Rather than finding alternatives, the board of directors must decide whether to hold the festival now."

Although there is a prospect that small-scale events may be held depending on the COVID-19 spread situation even if the festival is canceled, with most festivals and events that supported the local economy being canceled, the Gangwon region's economy is freezing more than ever.

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