3-Hour Value Tour for 30,000 Won... Gangwon Surpasses 10,000 Foreign Tourist Taxi Users

Gangwon Foreign Tourist Taxi Users Surpass 10,000
60,000 KRW for 3 Hours... Includes Visits to Traditional Markets
Improved Transportation Accessibility and Friendly Drivers Receive Praise
Tourists from 64 Countries Use the Service... 97% of Respondents 'Satisfied'
Province: "Established as a Representative Tourism Content"

Foreign tourist taxi users. Provided by Gangwon Province

The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province's 'Foreign Tourist Taxi' service, operated for foreign tourists, is receiving great acclaim. The friendly service of drivers who act as local guides and the provision of transportation infrastructure have captured the hearts of foreign tourists, with the number of users surpassing 10,000 last year. Amid the accelerating travel deficit, which exceeded 10 billion dollars last year, there is growing anticipation that this project will revitalize the inbound tourism market and the regional economy.

According to the province on the 12th, the number of foreign tourist taxi users in 2024 reached 10,292, a 45% increase from 7,064 the previous year. The foreign tourist taxi is a customized tourism product that includes tourist destinations with low accessibility due to weak transportation infrastructure. It is jointly operated by the province, the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, and three cities: Chuncheon, Gangneung, and Sokcho.

According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute's '2024 Survey on Foreign Tourists,' 'transportation' was identified as the most important factor for foreign tourists when visiting Korea. In response, the province plans to actively promote Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province's unique tourism appeal by providing more convenient tourism transportation infrastructure and offering various food, sights, and activities in celebration of the '2025-2026 Year of Visit Gangwon.'

The basic tour course lasts 3 hours per session and costs 60,000 KRW (with a 30,000 KRW co-payment by foreigners), including visits to traditional markets and customized optional courses linked to Hallyu, gourmet food, tourist attractions, and local festivals. The service features taxi tourism products developed in connection with major railway networks such as ITX and KTX, as well as intercity bus terminals, improving transportation accessibility for tourists.

Foreign tourist taxi users. Provided by Gangwon Province

By nationality, individual tourists from 64 countries worldwide, including Asian regions such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore, use the service, which has gained great popularity. Additionally, a satisfaction survey of users showed that 97% of respondents were very satisfied or satisfied. Eighty-nine percent of respondents cited the friendly service and safe driving of foreign tourist taxi drivers. They also expressed great satisfaction with the drivers voluntarily performing the role of daily guides by providing more vivid information about local tourist sites.

Considering that foreign tourists identified 'transportation' as the most important factor when visiting Korea in the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute's 2024 Survey on Foreign Tourists, the province plans to provide more convenient tourism transportation infrastructure. Kim Dong-jun, head of the province's Tourism Policy Division, stated, "The foreign tourist taxi has established itself as a representative content of Gangwon tourism beyond being a simple transportation means." He added, "In celebration of the 2025-2026 Year of Visit Gangwon, we plan to actively promote the unique tourism appeal of our region."

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