Bonghwa to Establish a 'Pet Pause' in the Baekdudaegan

Establishing a Pet-Friendly Healing Village

Targeting Completion by the End of 2026

Bonghwa County in North Gyeongsang Province is accelerating efforts to enhance its stay-type tourism infrastructure in response to growing demand for pet-friendly travel. Based on the pristine nature of the Baekdudaegan mountain range, the county plans to create a complex healing space where people and their pets can relax and stay together, aiming to establish a new axis of growth for local tourism.

The county announced that the “Baekdudaegan Healing Pet Village” project, currently underway in the Oesam-ri area of Bongseong-myeon, is being actively promoted with the target of completion by the end of 2026. The project began with a basic plan and feasibility study in 2022 and has been progressing in phases. It is evaluated as a strategic initiative designed to proactively respond to changing tourism trends.

Pet Village, covering an area of 16,700㎡ in Bongseong-myeon, Oesam-ri, is planned to consist of 18 buildings with completion aimed within this year. Rendering image

The “Baekdudaegan Healing Pet Village” will be a stay-type tourism facility where pets and their owners can enjoy rest and leisure together. The complex will be built on a 16,700㎡ site, featuring 18 two-story accommodation buildings, a pet yard, walking trails, and outdoor activity spaces. The layout is designed to seamlessly connect lodging, relaxation, walking, and bonding activities, enhancing its value as an eco-friendly tourism hub.

This project goes beyond simply providing pet-friendly facilities. The policy focus is on expanding pet-friendly tourism content by leveraging the outstanding natural environment of the Baekdudaegan and strengthening the foundation for stay-type tourism in connection with existing tourism resources. Through these efforts, the county seeks to increase the length of stay for pet owners and family tourists, expand local consumption, and promote both tourism revitalization and a virtuous cycle in the regional economy.

From the planning stage, the county has been comprehensively reviewing user convenience and safety, movement flow, utilization of outdoor spaces, eco-friendliness, and energy-saving features. Rather than simple development, the design direction prioritizes user satisfaction and sustainability, and as such, it is expected to play a significant role in enhancing the competitiveness of local tourism in the future.

A Bonghwa County official stated, “The Baekdudaegan Healing Pet Village will become a Bonghwa-style healing tourism model where pets and people can comfortably stay together,” adding, “We will do our utmost to ensure the project proceeds smoothly and establishes itself as a new tourism hub for the region by meeting the goal of completion by the end of 2026.”

With the rise in the pet-owning population and the trend of “traveling with pets” becoming a mainstream aspect of tourism, Bonghwa County’s project can be seen as an attempt to broaden the scope of regional tourism. Attention is focused on whether this stay-type tourism model—combining nature, relaxation, and pet culture—will serve as a catalyst for attracting new visitor demand to the area.

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