Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture & Tourism Corporation (President Kim Nam-il) announced that they successfully held the “2026 International Gyeongbuk Tourism Industry Exchange” across Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Beijing, and Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province from October 16 to 23, aiming to target the Chinese tourism market and expand Korea-China cultural and tourism exchanges.

This exchange event was designed to leverage the international recognition Gyeongbuk gained as the host of the 2025 APEC Summit, connecting it to the 2026 APEC host city (Shenzhen) to attract Chinese tourists and foster sustainable tourism cooperation.

The Corporation held Gyeongbuk tourism promotion briefings in key Chinese tourism markets—Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Beijing—with approximately 400 local tourism officials and travel industry representatives in attendance. The briefings focused on introducing Gyeongbuk’s historical and cultural tourism resources, including UNESCO World Heritage sites, and specialized tourism contents, thereby raising local travel industry awareness of Gyeongbuk tourism and expanding networks for tourist attraction.

The briefings drew significant attention from major Chinese tourism organizations, including the Guangdong Tourism Association, Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports, and the Shenzhen Travel Industry Association in Shenzhen; the Zhejiang Travel Agency Association in Hangzhou; and the China Association of Travel Services and Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Association in Beijing.

Following industry exchanges, the charm of Gyeongbuk tourism was also promoted directly to general consumers. The Gyeongbuk Tourism Roadshow held in Shenzhen drew a total of 140,000 visitors, featuring diverse experience programs centered around the "Five Hans" (Five Korean elements: Korean Food, Hanbok [traditional clothing], Hangeul [Korean alphabet], Hanji [traditional paper], and K-Beauty). This helped channel local interest in Korean culture into actual Gyeongbuk tourism while broadening touchpoints with potential tourists.

These promotional efforts further translated into expanded cooperation with Chinese tourism organizations. The Corporation pursued a business agreement with the Guangdong Tourism Association to vitalize tourism exchanges, and strengthened tourism cooperative ties utilizing World Heritage as a medium with the Administrative Committee of Mount Wutai Scenic Area in Shanxi Province. Notably, based on the historical, cultural, and Buddhist cultural values shared between Gyeongbuk and Mount Wutai, foundations were laid for ongoing cooperation, including mutual tourism exchanges and joint promotions.

This exchange event is meaningful in that it expanded the cooperative framework among tourism organizations while simultaneously engaging the local tourism industry and general consumers in China. Building on this momentum, the Corporation plans to continuously drive the attraction of Chinese tourists by raising Gyeongbuk tourism awareness within China and strengthening ties with the local travel industry.

Kim Nam-il, President of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture & Tourism Corporation, emphasized, "Powered by the APEC effect and other factors, inbound Chinese tourists to Korea surged by over 29% year-on-year, surpassing 5.47 million visits through September this year. Now is the golden time for Gyeongbuk tourism to make a major leap forward." He added, "In line with the opening of the Pohang International Exhibition & Convention Center (POEX) next year, we will launch aggressive marketing reflecting the latest trends, such as customized activities and culinary tourism products tailored to the tastes of Chinese tourists."

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