Haenam County's Half-Price Trip a "Big Hit"... First Round Sold Out in Just Two Days

The 'Ttangkkeut Haenam Half-Price Trip,' a tourism revitalization initiative ambitiously launched by Haenam County in South Jeolla Province, has become a major success, with the entire first round of applications being filled within just two days of opening.

According to Haenam County on April 29, the first round of the Ttangkkeut Haenam Half-Price Trip program, which began accepting applications at 9 a.m. on April 27, closed early after a total of 2,200 teams completed their applications by April 28. This popularity is attributed to the influx of family tourists seeking to save on travel costs, coinciding with the 'Haenam Dinosaur Grand Festival' scheduled to take place from May 2 to May 5.

Haenam County expects a large influx of tourists using the half-price travel promotion coinciding with the "Haenam Dinosaur Festival" period. Provided by Haenam County

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The 'Ttangkkeut Haenam Half-Price Trip,' promoted as a public contest project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is an unprecedented program that refunds 50% of the amount spent by out-of-town visitors in Haenam as mobile Haenam Sarang Gift Certificates. Individuals who spend at least KRW 50,000 and teams of two or more who spend at least KRW 100,000 are eligible to apply. The maximum refund is KRW 100,000 for individuals and KRW 200,000 for teams.

In particular, special benefits targeting young people (aged 19-34) have drawn attention. For young applicants, the refund rate is increased to 70%, allowing individuals to receive up to KRW 140,000 and teams up to KRW 280,000. This led to an enthusiastic response from Millennials & Gen Z travelers during this application period.

Eligibility is limited to tourists residing outside Haenam County. However, to ensure fairness among neighboring municipalities, residents of Gangjin, Yeongam, Wando, and Jindo counties are excluded from the program. To receive the refund, applicants must submit proof photos showing that they visited at least two major tourist attractions or festival venues during their trip to Haenam.

In addition, payments made at large businesses with annual sales exceeding KRW 3 billion, gas stations, entertainment establishments, car repair shops, and other businesses not directly related to tourism are not eligible for refunds, so careful verification is required in advance. Applications for the second round of the Haenam Half-Price Trip will open on May 26, and the third round will be held on June 29.

A Haenam County official stated, "The response from tourists has been so enthusiastic that we filled our target number of applications within two days, and we expect this to provide a strong boost to the local economy. For those who missed this application opportunity, we encourage you to take advantage of the ongoing Onnuri Gift Certificate refund event and the Haenam Sarang Gift Certificate discount sale event."

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