Gangneung, Selected as the First 'Barrier-Free Tourism City'

Introduction of Barrier-Free Tourism Transportation
Up to 4 Billion KRW National Funding Support Over 3 Years

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 8th that Gangneung, Gangwon Province, has been selected as the first 'Barrier-Free Tourism City.' This project aims to create a foundation where tourists, including people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, and families with infants and young children, can travel without restrictions in transportation, convenience facilities, and information access. It differs slightly from the 'Open Tourist Sites' initiative, which transforms individual tourist sites into barrier-free spaces to allow vulnerable tourists to move around comfortably. The focus here is on strengthening connectivity between tourist sites or between tourist sites and convenience facilities (accommodation, food and beverage, shopping). Plans include introducing barrier-free transportation and enhancing collaboration with private facilities.

The Ministry and the Tourism Organization recently conducted a public contest targeting local governments, thoroughly analyzing tourism attractiveness, project implementation capabilities, and potential for public-private cooperation. A Ministry official explained the selection of Gangneung, saying, "Gangneung received high marks due to its outstanding tourism resources such as the sea and coffee, as well as a solid project implementation organization," adding, "Having conducted the Open Tourist Sites project for three years, they have a high level of understanding of barrier-free tourism and expertise in related projects." Gangneung will receive up to 4 billion KRW in national funding over three years, along with expert consultations and support for discovering barrier-free tourism industry projects. The official further stated, "Yearly plans include improving barrier-free tourism transportation, enhancing accessibility of tourism facilities, providing integrated barrier-free tourism information, and training specialized personnel in barrier-free tourism."

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