Asan City Discusses Expanding Exchange in Hot Spring Sector with Hakone Town, Japan

Benchmarking Hakone's Hot Spring Tourism Industry Combined with Culture and Arts

During an overseas business trip to Japan, Park Kyung-gwi, Mayor of Asan City, visited Hakone Town to discuss ways to expand exchanges in the hot spring sector.

On the 23rd, Mayor Park, along with the Asan City delegation, visited Hakone Town to discuss expanding exchanges in hot spring tourism and inspected major tourist facilities to explore advanced hot spring tourism strategies.

Hakone Town, located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, has a population of only about 11,000, but it is a world-renowned hot spring tourism city attracting over 20 million tourists annually.

Mayor Park first initiated exchanges by meeting with Mayor Katsumata in May last year, and in October of the same year, the Hakone delegation, including Vice Mayor Ito Kazuo, attended the international conference and academic exchange symposium at the ‘2023 Korea Hot Spring Industry Expo’ hosted by Asan, maintaining a close relationship.

Mayor Katsumata stated, “Based on the draft exchange cooperation agreement proposed by Asan City, we are reporting to the council and moving forward toward signing the agreement,” adding, “We aim to advance so that the relationship with Asan City can bear fruit.”

Mayor Park Kyung-gwi explained, “The hot spring industry in Korea is declining, and Asan’s hot spring tourism industry is also facing a crisis,” and added, “As a breakthrough, we are promoting the third-generation hot spring industry with healing and therapeutic functions, beyond the first-generation hot springs based on bathing culture and the second-generation water park-style hot springs.”

He continued, “To take on this challenge, I want to learn Japan’s healing hot spring operation programs such as bathing instructors,” and said, “We will carefully examine Hakone’s hot spring tourism industry combined with culture and arts to find parts that can be applied to Asan.”

Following this, the Asan City delegation toured Hakone Yuryo (箱根湯寮), a paid hot spring facility renovated from an old traditional Japanese house, the tourist attraction Lake Ashinoko, and Kowakuen Yunessun, a complex water park-style spa facility.

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