Impact of Prolonged Muan Airport Closure... Gwangju City to Support 220 Local Travel Agencies

2 Million Won Provided for Product Planning per Agency

As the prolonged closure of Muan International Airport destabilizes the business foundation of the local travel industry, Gwangju City has stepped in to provide financial support for travel product development. With declining tourism demand due to diminished air accessibility, the city will subsidize product planning costs for 220 local travel agencies.

On April 19, Gwangju City announced the launch of its "Themed Specialized Travel Product Development Project" to support the local travel industry, which has been hit hard by the closure of Muan International Airport. The city will select 220 participating travel agencies and provide them with support.

Gwangju City Hall.

The eligible recipients are Gwangju-based travel agencies that were registered before the passenger plane accident on December 29, 2024, and are still in operation. Gwangju City will accept applications until May 8, select 220 agencies, and provide each with 2 million won to cover travel product planning expenses.

Selected agencies can receive subsidies once they register their developed travel products on Gwangju’s tourism website, "Omae Gwangju." Agencies with outstanding sales performance will be eligible for an additional post-development subsidy (for promotion and marketing) of up to 3 million won.

Through this initiative, Gwangju City aims to discover a variety of themed tourism products—such as culinary, historical, humanities, arts, night-time, wellness, and festival experiences—and to promote longer-stay tourism in the region.

Travel agencies wishing to participate can apply via email, mail, or in person. Gwangju City will conduct a review and announce the final list of recipients in May.

For more information, applicants can visit the Gwangju City website and the Gwangju Tourism Organization website, or contact the Regional Tourism Team at the Gwangju Tourism Organization.

Lee Seunggyu, Head of the New Vitality Promotion Headquarters at Gwangju City, stated, "This project was established to support the travel industry struggling due to the prolonged closure of Muan International Airport. We will continue to implement policies aimed at revitalizing and strengthening the competitiveness of the local tourism sector."

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