Gyeonggi Tourism Organization Targets 62 Trillion Won in Tourism Revenue by 2030, Fostering a Key Growth Engine

The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization is shifting its policy paradigm away from a quantitative focus on merely increasing the number of visitors to Gyeonggi Province. Instead, the organization will now prioritize extending visitor stay durations and increasing per capita spending as its core performance indicators.

On April 2, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization held the '2030 Gyeonggi Tourism Grand Vision Declaration Ceremony' at the Gyeonggi Human Resources Development Center, located in Jangan-gu, Suwon. The event was held to announce a vision to foster the tourism industry as a key growth driver for the province by 2030.

Under the core vision of making Gyeonggi Province the “center of global K-tourism” and the “tourism capital with four distinctive charms,” the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization unveiled a set of ambitious goals: achieving 62.1 trillion won in tourism spending by 2030, cultivating four mega tourism hubs in the eastern, western, southern, and northern regions, creating 150,000 innovative jobs, and discovering and nurturing 100 local tourism youth venture companies.

In particular, the organization will promote 'mega projects' tailored to each of the four regions, building signature landmarks that will maximize the province’s tourism competitiveness.

First, the eastern region will be developed as a global landmark and eco-cultural hub, absorbing Seoul's demand with transformative “black hole” infrastructure. Plans include creating a large-scale ferris wheel, tentatively named the 'Gyeonggi Wheel'—benchmarked after the London Eye—on Misaseom Island in Hanam, alongside a complex tourism district and a leisure waterfront transportation hub, to attract international tourists. The natural resources of Gapyeong and Yangpyeong will be organically connected, with the goal of completing the metropolitan area’s premier northeastern healing tourism belt for extended stays.

The southern region will be developed into a smart tourism hub that fuses history, culture, and industry. Suwon will serve as a “base camp,” connecting Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, the Korean Folk Village, the Samsung Electronics Innovation Museum, Pangyo Techno Valley, the Nam June Paik Art Center, and Everland through an integrated 'Hub & Spoke' ecosystem.

The northern region will serve as the heart of K-culture and peace tourism on the Korean Peninsula. By linking KINTEX, Korea’s largest convention center, with the 42,000-seat K-Culture Valley, the region will offer an unrivaled package for business tourism—hosting international conventions during the day and global K-pop performances by night. In the Paju Imjingak area, projects such as the construction of the Ahn Jung-geun Peace Center, the establishment of DMZ tourism hubs, and the promotion of the “2027~2028 DMZ Years of Visit” will raise international recognition and drive the globalization of DMZ peace tourism.

Jo Wonyong, President of Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, is speaking at the "2030 Gyeonggi Tourism Grand Vision Proclamation Ceremony" on the 2nd. Provided by Gyeonggi Tourism Organization

The western region will be fostered as a hub for Yellow Sea marine leisure and international co-prosperity. The province will build the 'Gyeonggi Gold Coast,' a marine leisure and eco-tourism Silk Road connecting Gimpo (Ara Marina), Siheung (Geobukseom), Ansan (Daebudo), Hwaseong (Jeongokhang), and Pyeongtaek (port hinterland). In addition, by linking five cities along the west coast of the province with major cities in China’s Shandong Province such as Qingdao and Yantai, the organization aims to directly attract large-scale Chinese tourist capital and establish a model for mutual growth.

The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization is also accelerating its efforts to generate economic ripple effects and create jobs. From the construction and infrastructure phase—including Hanam Misaseom and Goyang Arena—to MICE operation experts, performance curators, and IT-based Travel-Tech solution services, the aim is to create 150,000 innovative jobs in the tourism industry. In particular, through the 'Gyeonggi Tourism Academy,' the organization will actively support the launch of 100 youth startup companies, with the goal of nurturing three of them into global unicorns valued at more than 1 trillion won.

A representative of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization stated, "To expand the Seoul-centric tourism structure into Gyeonggi Province, we will significantly enhance the convenience of tourist movement by operating the 'Gyeonggi Tour Line,' a regional circular transportation network," adding, "By 2030, Gyeonggi Province is set to become a true global tourism hub."

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