19th Cheongsong Apple Festival Revitalizes Frozen Local Economy

Apple Sales, Dining, and Accommodation
Boost the Cheongsong Regional Economy

The "bright red, perfectly ripened apples" have brought a golden vitality to the local economy.

The 19th Cheongsong Apple Festival, held at Yongjeoncheon (in front of Hyeonbiam) in Cheongsong-eup, Cheongsong County from October 29 to November 2, has been credited with driving the economic recovery of the Cheongsong region.

The 19th Cheongsong Apple Festival.

First, eight organizations, including local agricultural cooperatives that distribute apples produced by 4,609 farms in the area, operated apple promotion and sales booths at the festival site over the five-day period.

Although the primary goal of these eight organizations was to promote the excellence of Cheongsong apples-which have won the Grand Prize in Korea’s representative brand category for 13 consecutive years-rather than to sell apples, it is noteworthy that all apples prepared for the festival were sold out, achieving apple sales of 1 billion won.

In addition, around 30 apple sales outlets, including individual farms and local food shops, operated along the route connecting Juwangsan Mountain and the festival venue. During the festival, these outlets reportedly recorded average daily sales exceeding 5 million won. Taking these on-site sales figures into account, it is estimated that apple sales inside and outside the festival venue over the five days surpassed 1.8 billion won.

Furthermore, the direct economic effect generated by the festival-including spending on food and beverages at restaurants inside the festival grounds and nearby stores, as well as accommodation fees, transportation costs, and experience fees at lodging businesses that benefited from the festival-was estimated at approximately 30 billion won. The indirect economic effect is expected to exceed 60 billion won. As a result, the festival is being credited with significantly revitalizing the local economy, which had stagnated following the large-scale wildfire last spring.

Additionally, the "Online Cheongsong Apple Festival," held on the Daum portal site from September 29 to November 2, attracted a record-breaking 3.2 million visitors.

This means that 6.2% of the entire Korean population searched for Cheongsong, Cheongsong apples, or the Cheongsong Apple Festival on Daum, proving that it is the premier festival for promoting Cheongsong and its apples.

Governor Yoon Kyunghui stated, "This year's Cheongsong Apple Festival achieved both quantitative and qualitative growth compared to last year, and the festival clearly demonstrated the unmatched excellence of Cheongsong apples. We will do our utmost to ensure that the Cheongsong Apple Festival evolves from Korea’s representative festival into a global event."

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