The World Falls for the Charm of Purple... Sinan Purple Island Named UN's Best Tourism Village

Sinan Purple Bridge

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Banwol and Bakji Islands in Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, famous as the ‘Purple Island,’ have been selected as the ‘World’s Best Tourism Village’ by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The UNWTO held a general assembly in Madrid, Spain, on the 2nd and selected Banwol and Bakji Islands as the ‘1st UN World’s Best Tourism Village.’ The ‘Best Tourism Village’ selection project, launched for the first time this year by the UNWTO, evaluates and certifies villages worldwide that are engaged in preserving and promoting cultural heritage and pursuing sustainable development through tourism.

The ‘1st UN World’s Best Tourism Village’ selection project, conducted as an international competition, saw 170 villages from 75 countries advance to the finals and compete. Especially due to the symbolic nature of the first competition, the contest was fierce across continents and countries. The world’s best tourism villages certified by the UNWTO are divided into three grades: ‘Best Tourism Village,’ ‘Best Tourism Village Improvement Program,’ and ‘Best Tourism Village Network.’

Banwol and Bakji Islands were selected as the highest grade, the ‘Best Tourism Village.’ Banwoldo and Bakjido, small islands in Anjwa-myeon, Sinan, are connected by a wooden bridge. Since the 7th local government administration, the county has promoted tourism by creating the ‘Purple Island’ theme based on the purple balloon flower colonies naturally growing on the islands.

The wooden bridge, coastal walking paths, village roofs, walls of small warehouses, and even aprons, tableware, and coffee cups were made purple. This is regarded as the first successful case in South Korea of creating a color image-making for an entire island.

With the selection of Purple Island as the ‘UN World’s Best Tourism Village,’ Sinan-gun has gained significant momentum for revitalizing tourism in the post-COVID era. Additionally, with the ‘2022?2023 Jeonnam Visit Year,’ Sinan’s islands are expected to emerge as a new tourism hub in Asia, including China and Japan.

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