Turning Crisis into Opportunity! ... External Visitors to the "Clean City" Miryang Increasing Every Year

Wiyangmot, Miryang-si, Gyeongnam. [Image source=Miryang-si]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Amid the ongoing flow of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the number of external visitors to the "clean area" of Gyeongnam Miryang is increasing.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization's Korea Tourism Data Lab on the 14th, the number of external visitors to Miryang has been increasing every year over the past three years (2019?2021).

It recorded 12.19 million in 2019, followed by 13.01 million in 2020, and 14.20 million in 2021. In particular, last year saw a 9% increase compared to 2020, marking the highest growth rate in external visitors among local governments in Gyeongnam Province.

This is analyzed to be due to an increase in people seeking clean natural environments amid COVID-19. Additionally, leisure sports that minimize face-to-face contact, such as golf and camping, have also influenced this trend.

By season, the highest number of visitors came in October, the hiking season. In October last year, about 1.403 million external visitors came to Miryang, accounting for 10% of the annual visitors.

Most tourists were found to visit Miryang Sajapyeong and Pyochungsa Temple to enjoy hiking.

It is also noteworthy that since May last year, outsiders have spent more within the region than locals. The increase in external visitors has led to a rise in tourism expenditure, playing a significant role in revitalizing the local economy.

Yang Ki-gyu, Director of Tourism Promotion, said, “We are strengthening marketing targeting tourists from the metropolitan area to increase their length of stay,” adding, “We will promote tourism policies to prepare for the post-COVID era through discovering various types of local foods and developing distinctive tourism content.”

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