Gyeongsangnam-do Province announced Wednesday that 180,000 people visited the "Cherry Blossom Pop-Up Village" during the Jinhae Naval Base Festival in Changwon, where local tourism businesses and organizations participated.
The pop-up village, organized by the Gyeongnam Tourism Business Support Center, operated in the Jinhae Station area. Sixteen tourism businesses and community enterprises from the Gyeongnam region showcased representative local products. The participating businesses achieved combined sales of 130 million won ($96,000) during the event period. Some popular items sold out early during the festival, demonstrating the market competitiveness of Gyeongnam's local content.
Beyond simple sales, the event offered hands-on experiences for visitors to enjoy with all five senses. A stamp tour called "Blossom Bingo," linked to promotional activities and experiences, ran as a regular program. On weekends when visitor traffic peaked, participatory events such as cherry blossom lottery and tourism quizzes were also held.
"The fact that 180,000 visitors came and generated over 100 million won in sales demonstrates the competitiveness of Gyeongnam's local content," said Kim Sang-won, Director of the Tourism Development Bureau at Gyeongsangnam-do Province. "Building on this success, we will work harder to expand sales channels for local tourism businesses and establish a foundation for sustainable growth."
The event was planned in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization's Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam branch and Tourism Dure in conjunction with the 64th Jinhae Naval Base Festival. It was designed to promote Gyeongnam's local brands to visitors of Korea's largest cherry blossom festival and support the growth of regional businesses.