Tourism Organization Promotes Tourism Revitalization with Cultural Events in DMZ Border Area

Promotion of 'Tourism Festa' in Border Areas Near the DMZ
Development and Nurturing of Various Contents Linked to Peace Tourism

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 10th that they will promote the '2023 DMZ Peace Theme Performance Festa' in collaboration with regional tourism organizations from Gangwon, Gyeonggi, and Incheon to revitalize tourism in the areas bordering the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Gangwon Goseong DMZ Peace Trail. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The DMZ Peace Theme Performance Festa is a project aimed at discovering and developing tourism content in the DMZ border areas, which have been difficult to access or little known due to military restrictions. It focuses on linking ecological and cultural resources of the DMZ border areas with various cultural and artistic events, experiential programs, and tourism.

Earlier, in March, the Korea Tourism Organization held a project plan contest worth 2 billion KRW targeting the tourism organizations of the DMZ border areas: Gangwon-do Tourism Foundation, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, and Incheon Tourism Organization.

The selected Gangwon-do Tourism Foundation will hold a 'Peace Theme Concert' in connection with representative festivals and events of local governments in the border areas. They will also conduct the 'DMZ Camping Travel Exhibition' utilizing idle land in the border areas and implement integrated promotional marketing branding the ecological tourism resources of Gangwon-do border areas with an eco-friendly image.

The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization will host a 'Peace Healing Picnic' with acoustic music at Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri in Paju City at the end of September. They will operate the 'DMZ Peace Marathon,' stay-type travel products in the border areas, and a promotional center exploring the ecological and cultural resources of the DMZ.

The Incheon Tourism Organization will run the 'DMZ Peace i-Land Music Festival,' consisting of street performances, exhibitions, and K-pop concerts centered around Gyodongdo Island in Ganghwa County, in a relay format from August to October. The recently opened ‘Hwage Garden’ and Daeryong Market, which was cooperatively established by refugees who fled during the Korean War in 1950 and local residents, are gaining attention as unique peace tourism spots in the border area.

Kwon Young-mi, head of the Regional Balanced Tourism Team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, “The DMZ border area stretches 248 km and holds hidden charms everywhere, making it a region with high tourism potential. Through this contest project, we hope to discover tourism content that incorporates culture and arts, offering visitors a mysterious ecological resource treasure trove where they can enjoy nature and cultural experiences, and contribute to economic revitalization through tourism in the DMZ border areas.”

The selected project plans are expected to be finalized this month through consulting and agreements with the Korea Tourism Organization.

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