World Heritage Site Suwon Hwaseong Fortress,
Hwaseong Haenggung Temporary Palace, Suwon Hwaseong Museum, Jidong Traditional Market,
and more 

◇ On January 18, Gyeonggi Province announced through its newspaper and
official website that it has designated 1.83㎢ near Suwon
Hwaseong Fortress including UNESCO World Heritage Site Suwon Hwaseong Fortress structures
and Jidong Traditional Market as part of a Special Tourist Zone. Pictured: Bird’s-eye view of Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung Temporary Palace ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Heo Seon-ryang 

On January 18, Gyeonggi Province announced through its newspaper and
official website that it has designated 1.83㎢
near the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Suwon
Hwaseong Fortress structures and Jidong Traditional Market as a Special Tourist
Zone.

The Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Special Tourist Zone is Gyeonggi Province’s fourth Special Tourist Zone and the second zone
designated since October of 2004 when the authority to designate such zones was
transferred from the central government to Gyeonggi Province. The provincial government
designated the Goyang Special Tourist Zone as its first Special Tourist Zone
last August. 

According to Article 70 of the Tourism Promotion Act, Special Tourist
Zones can be designated by the Governor if the head of a city or county makes
an application and relevant organizations agree. The Mayor of Suwon City applied
for the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Special Tourist Zone designation last November.
The provincial government conferred with relevant organizations such as the
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and related experts on changing the
Special Tourist Zone’s name, area coverage, and
other plan modiciations to promote the zone and push ahead with administrative
procedures.   

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and the Hwaseong Haenggung Temporary Palace
Museum are both tourist hotspots in Gyeonggi Province, attracting 160,000 paid
foreign visitors in 2014. With the designation of the Special Tourist Zone
added to UNESCO World Heritage Site Suwon Hwaseong Fortress’ history, cultural excellence and Suwon’s outstanding transportation systems, Gyeonggi Province expects to
attract more tourists.  

Gyeonggi Province and Suwon City are formulating a promotion plan for the
Special Tourist Zone that includes: improving tourism related convenience
facilities for foreign tourists; promoting a wide range of distinct festivals
and events; developing tourism courses that connects local assets; and fostering
high quality tourism products including local items for foreign tourists. These
efforts are being undertaken in order to cultivate Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and
the surrounding regions as a center of tourism in southern Gyeonggi.  

When a Special Tourist Zone is designated, relevant regulations are
lifted or eased according to the Tourism Promotion Act, and KRW 3 billion in
national and provincial funding can be directed into the zone through public
competitions for business projects. In addition, the local administration head can
set the zone’s regulations and ease
restrictions for outdoor advertisements. Moreover, regular and recreational
restaurants are allowed to conduct business outdoors. Special Tourist Zones can
also restrict road traffic for festivals or concerts, and direct relevant
budgets to stimulate the zone such as expanding tourism services and guide
systems. 

◇ Location of
the Suwon Hwaseong Special Tourist Zone ⓒ Gyeonggi
G-News

ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News | Lee Jun-kyun  eyekle@hanmail.net 

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201601191400047055C048&s_code=C048