"Helping Recovery of Wildfire-Affected Areas Through Travel"

Korea Tourism Organization Launches 'ESG Value Travel' Project to Support Wildfire Recovery
Tourism Programs and Campaigns in Donghae, Samcheok, Gangneung, and Uljin Areas

Tourists are enjoying the sunrise at a beach in Gangneung-si, Gangwon, a famous spot for sunrise on the East Coast. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] A tourism project to support recovery efforts in the Gangwon and Gyeongbuk regions affected by large-scale wildfires is being launched.

The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 17th that it will start the 'ESG Value Travel' project this month to attract tourists to the early recovery of the wildfire-affected areas of Donghae, Samcheok, and Gangneung in Gangwon Province, as well as Uljin in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

The project was planned in collaboration with local governments in the wildfire-affected areas of Donghae, Samcheok, and Gangneung to revitalize the local economy and support early recovery by attracting tourists.

For the Gangwon region including Donghae, Samcheok, and Gangneung, the project will carry out ▲promotion of newly developed travel products such as 'KTX Ride Gangneung-Donghae Goodwill Donation' ▲Samcheok Hot Place Search! Mobile Stamp Tour Event ▲promotion of newly developed Gangneung Sport-cation & ESG tourism products ▲forest driving events linked to the Gangwon Tourism Road 'Nature Road'. The organization plans to implement the programs as early as possible to maximize the project’s effectiveness.

Along with a donation campaign to revitalize the region by returning part of the profits to the local community through cooperation with the travel industry and related organizations, the 'Gangwon ESG Value Travel Campaign' will also be carried out to discover ESG tourism content located in the affected areas.

A tourism project for Uljin in Gyeongbuk has also been prepared. From April to July, a special travel product exhibition called 'Cheer Up Uljin' will be promoted to stimulate local consumption, and events such as the development of Geumgang Pine Forest Wellness products and distribution of local gift certificates to participants will be held.

Additionally, during the same period, support will be provided for regional promotion through volunteer trips by the organization’s SNS reporters and for donation-type ESG travel program operations.

Kim Seonghoon, Director of the National Tourism Office at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "Through the 'Korea Accommodation Grand Sale' starting in the first half of this year and the 'Travel Month' campaign scheduled for June, we will also support transportation, accommodation, and attraction discount coupons, as well as ESG campaign accommodation discount coupons for travelers visiting the affected areas."

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