Daejeon City is fostering "bread" as a key tourism asset and launching initiatives to promote stay-over tourism using bread as a medium.

To expand the brand "Daejeon, Korea's Bread Capital," Daejeon City is rolling out several programs in the second half of this year, including the opening of the Daejeon Travel Lounge branch, the "Bread City Tour," and the experience-and-discount promotion "Bread-gas-seumnida" (a play on words combining bread and the Korean greeting).

This promotion features a wide variety of programs, including mission tours, tourism and accommodation discounts, and social media events.

The city aims to expand Daejeon's bread culture—which has firmly established itself as a nationwide "bread pilgrimage"—beyond simple food tourism into comprehensive tourism content that connects with experiences, accommodation, and local commerce to encourage longer stays and spending.

First, a new Daejeon Travel Lounge branch will open near Yuseong Hot Springs Station in October. Reconfigured from the existing Daejeon Comprehensive Tourist Information Center, it will feature bread-themed photo zones and resting areas, provide tourism and bread tour information, sell tourism merchandise such as Kkumdori, and serve as a hub for mission verifications and reward pickups. It is planned to operate as a new "bread hideout" for Daejeon travel where visitors can buy, eat, photograph, and enjoy bread.

The Daejeon City Tour "Bread City Tour" is also gaining explosive popularity. Operating on two routes every Saturday and Sunday, it sequentially visits four representative bakeries per route. Starting in October, it will be revamped with newly refreshed courses.

In particular, during the Daejeon Bread Festival from October 17 to 18, the tour will temporarily operate by adding the festival venue to the existing bakery tour routes. Additionally, a special event will be held during this period, offering Kkumdori reusable bags to city tour participants.

From October to November, a mission tour themed around Kkumdori and bread, titled "Kkumdori's Daejeon Bread Expedition," will take place. Participants will complete missions by purchasing products at two local bakeries and visiting tourist sites, then receive final verification and rewards at the Yuseong Hot Springs Station Travel Lounge branch. By offering unique rewards exclusive to Daejeon, the city aims to connect bakery visits with trips to local tourist spots and businesses. Participation will be available starting October 6 via the QR code on promotional materials.

Meanwhile, "Bread-tastic Discounts" will also be promoted to increase tourist stays and spending. From September 21 through the Daejeon Bread Festival period, a discount exhibition targeting major tourism facilities and experience contents—such as Daejeon O-World, Expo Aquarium, and Sangsang Art Hall—is being held in partnership with MyRealTrip.

Along with this, the city is participating in the "2026 Korea Accommodation Sale Festa (Second Half Edition)" from September 22 to November 8, offering discount benefits on accommodation products in the Daejeon area. By adding tourism and accommodation discounts to bread-centric trips, the city plans to vitalize stay-over tourism.

Online, to induce nationwide interest and participation, the social media capture-verification event "Catch My Bread!" will run from October 1 to 9. Through a lucky draw, 200 selected winners will receive various prizes such as Kkumdori dolls and mobile gift certificates.

Daejeon City plans to analyze user feedback and operational performance of the second-half programs, focusing on proven contents to continuously develop participatory and experiential bread tourism content from 2027 onward.

Kwon Kyung-min, Director-General of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Daejeon City, stated, "Daejeon's bread is now more than just food; it is an important tourism asset that draws visitors to Daejeon. By diversifying contents that allow people to travel and enjoy various parts of Daejeon through bread, we will foster 'Daejeon, Korea's Bread Capital' into a representative tourism brand."

Meanwhile, detailed information regarding participation methods for each program can be found on the Daejeon Tourism website or by contacting the Daejeon City Tourism Promotion Division (042-270-3982, 3984).

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]