"Rest as a Competitive Edge"... Wando County to Foster Korea-Style Healing Tourism Industry

Kick-off Briefing Held for the 'Basic Plan' Initiative

Utilizing Distinctive Natural Resources... Proactively Responding to Wellness Tourism Demand

Wando County in South Jeolla Province is taking full-fledged steps to foster a 'healing tourism industry' that links local specialized resources such as marine, forestry, and agriculture.

On April 21, Wando County announced that it recently held a kick-off briefing for the 'Basic Plan for Fostering the Healing Tourism Industry' at the county office situation room, attended by over 30 participants including Deputy Governor Lee Beomwoo and department heads.

Wando County is fostering a "healing tourism industry" that connects marine, forest, and agricultural resources, which are specialized local assets. Provided by Wando County

This research project was initiated following the enactment of the 'Healing Tourism Industry Promotion Act' on April 8, 2025, with the aim of establishing a sustainable healing tourism ecosystem unique to Wando and proactively responding to the rapidly increasing demand for wellness tourism.

During the briefing, an in-depth analysis of Wando County's current tourism conditions was conducted, and specific measures for successful industry development were discussed in detail.

The main topics discussed included: ▲ the mid-to-long-term vision and development strategy for the healing tourism industry; ▲ development of a differentiated healing tourism model based on marine resources; ▲ designation of healing tourism zones and certification of outstanding healing tourism facilities; and ▲ strategies for securing funds through national policies and public contests.

The county especially plans to focus its administrative efforts on discovering practical win-win models that can enable mutual growth between local businesses such as accommodation and food service and the healing tourism sector. To this end, the county will actively gather residents' opinions through future public hearings and foster the healing tourism industry as a new growth engine for the region through close interdepartmental cooperation.

A county official stated, "Starting with this kick-off briefing, we will carefully draw up a blueprint for a differentiated healing tourism industry unique to Wando that can represent South Korea."

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