With the establishment of an institutional foundation to foster the healing tourism industry, new opportunities to expand the tourism market are opening up in the Chungcheong region, which is well-equipped with rich natural and medical resources including forests, the sea, hot springs, and medical care.

The key to success lies in whether visitors, who typically stop by as one-day sightseers, can be transformed into "stay-over tourists" whose visits lead directly to lodging and local spending.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) on the 7th, the "Act on the Promotion of the Healing Tourism Industry" took effect on April 9, followed by the enactment of its subordinate statutes on the 21st of the same month.

This has laid the legal groundwork to promote the registration of healing tourism businesses, certification of excellent facilities, designation of industrial zones, and training of specialized personnel.

Healing tourism refers to travel that promotes health recovery, relaxation, and psychological stability by utilizing forest, marine, hot spring, and medical resources. Discussions regarding industrialization have also gained momentum following the enactment of the law.

At a National Assembly policy debate held on the 22nd of last month, participants discussed ways for private entities, such as travel agencies, to register as businesses and participate in packaging scattered regional healing programs with lodging and transportation into marketable products.

Government support is also becoming more concrete. This year, the MCST is providing 450 million KRW per facility to 6 wellness tourism clusters, and up to 50 million KRW per facility to 20 "wellness tourist destinations specialized in attracting inbound foreign visitors."

Next year's tourism sector budget proposal stands at 1.7581 trillion KRW, an 18.8% increase from this year. Among this, 32.7 billion KRW has been allocated to foster the healing tourism and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industries, including support for attracting medical tourists.

Local governments in the Chungcheong region are also accelerating efforts to weave their respective assets into tourism products.

*Daejeon is focusing on "Medi-Healing Tourism," which combines medical tourism with wellness. The Daejeon Tourism Organization is collaborating with local medical institutions to expand treatment-centered medical tourism into stay-over tourism connected with recreational assets like Yuseong Hot Springs. The core challenge is successfully establishing a seamless model that integrates medical examinations, treatments, and relaxation.
*Sejong utilizes urban green spaces and arboretums as healing zones. In addition to the National Sejong Arboretum with its healing gardens, Geumgang Arboretum reopened last month after about a year following a joint operation agreement signed by Sejong City and South Chungcheong Province. Accommodations are projected to open as early as January next year, transforming the arboretum into a healing hub where visitors can stay and rest in the forest.
*North Chungcheong Province is targeting seniors and family tourists with its inland wellness brand, "Blue Wellness," anchored by Cheongju (spa and beauty), Chungju (meditation), Jecheon (traditional oriental medicine), and Jeungpyeong (forest and nature).
*South Chungcheong Province is developing a West Coast healing tourism belt centered around two main pillars: the Taean Marine Healing Center—which utilizes peat, salt, and saltwater—and the Taean International Horticultural Healing Expo.

However, several challenges remain before full-scale industrialization can be achieved. Experts emphasize that facilities and programs must be linked with reservation and distribution systems to elevate day-trip tourism into stay-over tourism.

"Healing tourism is not a field that naturally industrializes just because the natural environment or facilities are good," noted Jeong Byeong-woong, professor emeritus of tourism management at Soonchunhyang University. "To generate regional economic effects, we must design products that connect Daejeon's medical and scientific assets, Sejong's gardens, South Chungcheong's marine and hot spring resources, and North Chungcheong's forest and oriental medicine assets directly with lodging, food and beverages, transportation, and local commercial consumption."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]