Gangwon Province achieved the number one increase in visitors nationwide compared to 2021 among 2022 last year.
Although external activities are still being reduced due to COVID-19, the number of visitors increased by 17.8% compared to 2021, showing an increase compared to the previous year.
According to statistics, 153.45 million tourists will visit in 2022. In particular, it was analyzed that the Gangwon Tourism Organization in 2022 exceeded 140 million visitors in 2019, recovering to the level before COVID-19. In addition, the ranking of visitors by season was in the order of summer, fall, spring, and winter. Meanwhile, the number of visitors in December 2022 decreased by 500,000 compared to December last year and decreased by 740,000 from the previous month to 7%. The decrease from the same month last year is estimated to be due to the delay in the opening of the ski resort due to the weather. This is because there are many well-equipped places in Gangwon-do, including domestic ski resorts. However, despite the winter of 2022, the number of tourists is believed to have decreased due to the delay in the opening of ski resorts and others due to the high temperature maintained in the winter. Tourist attractions that people used a lot in winter include Dorongi Pond in Jeongseon area, indoor ice rink in Gangneung, and Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Village in Pyeongchang. The number of visitors to Jeongseon “Dorongi Pond” increased by about 431% compared to the previous year. It was especially popular with visitors in their 20s. The number of visitors to Daegwallyeong Snowflake Village in Pyeongchang increased by 134% compared to the previous year, and as a result of analysis of SNS-related search terms, bobsled snow sleds on a sharply curvy course are in the spotlight among tourists. Gangneung Indoor Ice Sheet (Curling Center) has seen a 248% increase in visitors compared to the previous year, and skating that can be enjoyed at indoor ice rink is emerging as a unique experience tourism content. Mun-Kyu Won Executive Director of Tourism Marketing Dept of Gangwon Tourism Organization said, “We have confirmed the green light of Gangwon tourism that turns crisis into opportunity through big data analysis, and we will actively promote tourism marketing in 2023.”
SOPHIA KIM
ASIA JOURNAL
