Sokcho City seeks to attract foreign tourists by linking Yangyang Airport and Sokcho Port

Sokcho = Yonhap News) Reporter Ryu Ho-jun = Sokcho City, Gangwon-do, is seeking to attract foreign tourists by linking Yangyang International Airport and Sokcho Port.

As foreign visitors continue to increase, Sokcho is included in the Yangyang Airport tourist zone, and a cruise call at Sokcho Port is scheduled for the second half of the year, the plan is to use this as an opportunity to expand international tourism.

According to the Korea Tourism Data Lab analyzed by Sokcho City on the 15th, the number of foreigners who visited Sokcho in the first quarter of this year was 59,867, a 14.8% increase from the same period last year.

In the second quarter, the number was 111,849, an increase of 29.6% from the same period last year.

The city was included along with Gangneung in the Yangyang Airport tourist zone among the '5 major local airport-centered tourist zones' announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 10th.

This is a project that connects tourism resources in nearby cities by using local airports as gateways for foreign tourists to visit the region.

Yangyang, Gangneung, and Sokcho were presented as a complex leisure tourism zone with mountains, the sea, and cultural and sports tourism resources.

Based on the 2027 government budget, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to invest 93.5 billion won in national and local funds to foster the five major tourism zones.

It includes measures to expand the inflow of foreign tourists through local airports and cruise ports of call, improve transportation and payment convenience, and foster specialized tourism content for each region.

At the 'Regional Airport-Linked Regional Tourism Activation Cooperation Forum' held at Yangyang International Airport on the 7th, the city proposed developing joint tourism products in the Gangwon region, strengthening overseas marketing, and establishing a transportation network linked to the airport.

The plan is to encourage foreign tourists to travel to various regions together by nearby cities and counties, travel agencies, and airlines to jointly develop tourism products and promote them overseas.

It was also proposed to introduce shuttle buses exclusively for foreign tourists according to flight schedules and to expand transportation information in multiple languages.

Attraction of cruise ship tourists through Sokcho Port continues.

A total of four cruises are scheduled to arrive at Sokcho Port in the second half of the year, starting with The World on the 15th, followed by the Westerdam once and the Siburn Encore twice in October.

Including the three port arrivals in the first half of the year, there will be a total of seven cruise calls at Sokcho Port this year, three more than last year.

The city plans to promote a plan to connect natural tourist attractions such as Seorak Mountain, beaches, and lakes with Abai Village and traditional markets so that cruise ship tourists can tour local tourist attractions even during limited port call times.

The goal is to increase the stay time of foreign tourists coming through airports and ports and connect them to local consumption.

Mayor Lee Byeong-seon said, "In order to revitalize Yangyang International Airport, we must not only expand the airport's own routes, but also create a structure that allows tourists who enter the country to conveniently move, stay, and consume tourist attractions in the Gangwon region." He added, "We will seek support and cooperation from the central government and related organizations so that Sokcho and other nearby cities, counties, and the airline and travel industry can build joint tourism products and transportation systems."