New Designation of Ecotourism Area at Yeongdeok, Donghaean National Geopark

Yeongdeok Blue Road, Integrating Unique Ecotourism... Establishing Itself as a Landmark

The Ministry of Environment will newly designate the Yeongdeok-gun area of the Gyeongbuk East Coast National Geopark as an ecotourism area.

The Donghaean National Geopark area in Yeongdeok, newly designated as an ecotourism region. Provided by Yeongdeok County.

An ecotourism area is an environmentally friendly ecotourism program development system designated through consultation between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, targeting areas with environmental conservation value where the importance of ecosystem protection can be experienced and educated.

Once designated as an ecotourism area, national funds will be provided for three years to develop and operate ecotourism programs. Priority support will be given to national projects for installing ecotourism infrastructure, along with support for training nature environment interpreters and strengthening local residents' capabilities.

Yeongdeok-gun applied to the Ministry of Environment for ecotourism area designation last August. Among 17 candidate sites received, the Ministry shortlisted 10 sites after a written evaluation and on-site assessment in October, and on the 18th, designated five sites including Yeongdeok-gun National Geopark as ecotourism areas based on the announcement evaluation of candidate sites and the final review by the screening committee.

As a result, Yeongdeok-gun now possesses seven geological attractions within the East Coast National Geopark, including Yeongdeok Sunrise Park, Gyeongjeong-ri Coast, Jukdosan, Yeongdeok Unconformity, Goraebul Coast, Cheolamsan Fossil Site, and Woncheok-ri Granite.

In particular, the Yeongdeok-gun area features a series of geologically valuable sites along the coastline, and the Blue Road, a coastal trekking trail, has been established, attracting the interest of tourists who want to enjoy it.

Accordingly, Yeongdeok-gun was also selected in July as a target site for the ‘Sustainable Coastal Development and Ecotourism Revitalization Project,’ a collaborative project between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and is developing ecotourism programs through continuous consulting and networking.

Moreover, the Gyeongbuk East Coast Global Geopark, which includes Yeongdeok National Geopark, passed the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council review in September, and final approval is expected at the UNESCO General Assembly in May next year, which is anticipated to boost the development of the ecotourism industry based on geological value.

County Governor Kim Gwang-yeol said, “With this ecotourism area designation, we are gathering local capabilities to establish Yeongdeok as a center of ecotourism linking geological attractions and the Blue Road,” adding, “We will devote all our efforts to developing programs that combine unique ecological experiences and tourism along Yeongdeok’s beautiful coastline, preserving valuable natural heritage while contributing to regional revitalization.”

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