Incheon Tourism Organization is launching a public contest to discover content that bolsters tourism competitiveness in the city's old downtown areas. The initiative reflects recent travel trends including nighttime tourism and pet-friendly travel.
The organization is accepting applications for the "2026 Incheon Old Downtown Tourism Content Contest" through June 22. The program covers the entire old downtown area, including Wolmido, the Gaehangjiang open port district, and the districts of Bupyeong, Gyeyang, Seo and Ganghwa. It aims to uncover festivals, tours and hands-on programs that draw on local historical, cultural and culinary resources.
This year, the contest focuses on participatory experiential content for residents and visitors. In particular, nighttime tourism and pet-friendly tourism content are being recruited as separate categories. According to a 2022 survey by the Korea Tourism Organization, 58.4% of those who traveled domestically within the previous three years had experienced nighttime tourism. The main reasons cited were enjoying scenery available only at night (61.2%), a more relaxed schedule (46.5%) and lower congestion (36.3%).
Eligible applicants are organizations that currently provide or plan to provide tourism products and services in Incheon. A two-round selection process consisting of a document review and a presentation will determine the final five winners. Each selected firm will receive 20 million won in project funding along with marketing support through the organization's official social media channels.
"We will discover tourism content that reflects local character and build a sustainable tourism ecosystem based on public-private cooperation," Incheon Tourism Organization CEO Yoo Ji-sang said.
Applications can be submitted by email. Details are available on the Incheon Tourism Organization website.