Inje County to Launch First Hometown Love Fund Project, "Inje City Tour," in 2026

Inje County, Gangwon Province, is accelerating efforts to develop the route for its first hometown love fund project, the "Inje City Tour."

Inje County is accelerating the development of the first hometown love fund project route, "Inje City Tour." The photo shows military personnel visiting advanced local tourism sites. Photo by Inje County

In 2024, Inje County launched the basic project plan for the "Inje City Tour" to enhance local residents' access to the region's tourism, cultural, and natural ecological resources. The county plans to establish the city tour’s operational system and convenience facilities by the first half of 2026, with bus operations scheduled to begin in the second half of the year.

This year, the county is focusing on discovering customized routes that connect major local tourist attractions, festivals, and seasonal experience programs, targeting not only local residents but also a wide range of visitors. From October to this month, a total of eight field trips to advanced tourism sites were conducted for relevant public officials and military personnel, gathering diverse feedback on the city tour’s operational system and the newly identified routes. So far, three routes have been discovered: two themed routes (the Birch Forest Course and the Baekdamsa Temple Course) and one special route linked to a local festival.

The Inje City Tour bus will also play a key role in the development of the station area associated with the Chuncheon-Sokcho East-West High-Speed Railway, which is scheduled to open in 2028. Inje County plans to attract more visitors deeper into the region by improving access to major local tourist attractions. The city tour routes will be further enhanced by connecting with future tourism resources to be completed by 2027, such as the Yongdae Local Garden (2024-2027), Hangye District Historical and Cultural Tourism Resources (2016-2027), Jindong Closed Tunnel (2021-2026), Jindong and Bangdong District Camping Villages (2024-2026), Amisan Smart Workation Center (2023-2027), and the Baekdudaegan Nature Stay Healing Center (2022-2027).

Meanwhile, Inje County’s cumulative hometown love donation has surpassed 700 million won, with 198.56 million won raised in 2023 and 280.45 million won in 2024. As of the end of November this year, donations totaled 234.84 million won, up 47.9% compared to the same period last year (158.77 million won).

Inje County is accelerating the development of the first hometown love fund project route, "Inje City Tour." The photo shows military personnel visiting advanced local tourism sites. Photo by Inje County

The county plans to intensify fundraising promotion for the remainder of the year, as 50-60% of donations are typically made by office workers preparing for year-end tax settlements in November and December.

In collaboration with local small business owners, Inje County is also running an event until December 21, offering additional return gifts and prize draws. Details on the event benefits during this period can be found on the county office website.

A county official stated, "Since this project is being pursued by gathering the precious support of those who love the region, we will thoroughly prepare to ensure it becomes a stepping stone for enhancing residents' happiness and strengthening the region's capabilities."

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