○ Creating unique Gyeonggi Province travel contents loved by tourists during the COVID-19 pandemic
○ (October-November) Development of travel packages, trial operations, online events, and promotions
○ Continued development as tourism hubs that lead local tourism revitalization

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization (GTO) announced on October 9 that they will undertake a project to select seven themed streets for promotion as major tourist attractions with the aim of boosting the COVID-19-impacted local economy.

The seven streets selected for the first half of this year include: Haengnidan-gil, Hwaseong, Suwon City; Ansan Multicultural Village Zone, Wongok-dong, Ansan City; Somssi-ro Maebssi-ro, Shinjang Shopping-ro, Pyeongtaek City; Centennial Street, Bukbyeon-dong, Gimpo City; Doja Arts Village, Hoerang-gil, Icheon City; Idong Galbi Street, Pocheon City; and Cheonggaeguri Street, Yangpyeong County.

Based on expert recommendations, Gyeonggi Province aims to strengthen regional tourism competitiveness from October to November by developing unique stories for each street, installing wall paintings and installation art, developing and test operating travel packages, encouraging resident participation (cultivation of tour guides, etc.), and holding online/offline promotions.

As for the Centennial Street in Bukbyeon-dong, Gimpo City, travel writers will personally visit the location to discover the stories of this 100-year-old street and publish them through card news and social media. Also, old buildings will be decorated with art contents, such as installation art, to transform the location into an artists’ street.

The Ansan Multicultural Village Zone in Wongok-dong, Ansan City, will feature a unique story titled “World food trip to Wongok-dong, Ansan” that is based on the traditional foods of residents from different countries. The stories will be developed by several writers visiting this area, which will be published through card news or social media. Multicultural residents will be trained as food and culture guides. Food tasting tour packages for this zone will also be developed to create more jobs for these guides.

Also, to gauge the marketability of the themed streets and promote the locations, a trial tour with travel YouTubers and culture promoters will be conducted. The Centennial Street in Bukbyeondong starts from the century-old Gimpo Catholic Church, past the Haedong 1950 Book Store, a culture hub for young adults, to 363 Art Square, a regional resting area. The Ansan Multicultural Village Zone will feature a variety of foods from around the world that visitors can try and cooking classes for everyone.

Moreover, each street will engage in promotion activities, including online events, shooting for television broadcasts, creation of promotional videos with celebrities, and uploads to YouTube.

Tourism Division Director Choi Yong-hun (Gyeonggi Provincial Government) said, “There have been many restrictions on conducting promotional projects such as festivals and events due to COVID-19. We will utilize this project to attract more tourists and boost our local economy.”