Despite Cancellation of Spring Flower Festival, Tourists Line Up... Gyeongnam Province Urges 'Refrain from On-Site Visits'

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] Amid the consecutive cancellations of spring flower festivals in the Gyeongnam region, Gyeongnam Province on the 31st urged tourists to refrain from visiting the sites of the canceled spring flower festivals to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

This year, 23 festivals were scheduled to be held in the province from March to April, but due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, 18 spring festivals, including the Yangsan Wondong Maehwa Festival, Changwon Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, Changnyeong Nakdonggang Canola Flower Festival, and Hadong Hwagae Market Cherry Blossom Festival, were canceled one after another.

In particular, Hadong-gun canceled its festival but is providing an online service that allows real-time checking of the blooming status of the Hadong Sipri Cherry Blossom Road.

Nevertheless, tourists are flocking to Jinhae, where the Gunhangje Festival is held, causing local residents to express anxiety.

Accordingly, the province is frequently visiting the sites to check the availability of disinfectants and ensure compliance with social distancing, strengthening quarantine inspections and guidance.

Additionally, Changwon City and the relevant cities and counties have installed quarantine booths and safety fences at festival sites and have intensified crackdowns on illegal street vendors and illegal parking.

Visitors are being guided to strictly follow personal quarantine rules such as wearing masks and social distancing, while being asked to refrain from visiting.

No Young-sik, Director of the Gyeongnam Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, stated, "This year, we ask people to refrain from visiting festival sites where large crowds gather and to utilize the 16 non-face-to-face safe tourist destinations selected by the province for each city and county." He added, "When visiting festival sites and tourist attractions, please strictly adhere to personal quarantine measures such as wearing masks, so that next year we can look forward to enjoying festivals freely without masks."

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