North Gyeongsang Province, which has declared this year the "Year of Visiting Gyeongbuk," has launched a full-scale initiative to boost inbound tourism by leveraging Daegu International Airport.
With foreign tourists visiting Gyeongbuk rising sharply since the APEC summit held in Gyeongju last year, the province aims to sustain this momentum and drive regional economic growth through an expanded visitor base.
According to the provincial government on the 21st, officials attended the "Cooperation Forum for Revitalizing Regional Tourism Linked to Local Airports" held that day at Daegu City Hall under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, where they discussed cooperation measures to boost inbound tourism. The event was organized as a follow-up to the "Local Airport-Based Regional Inbound Hub" plan announced at the presidential "Expanded National Tourism Strategy Meeting" in February.
The forum brought together North Gyeongsang Province, Daegu City, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Tourism Organization, the Korea Airports Corporation and other related agencies, along with travel industry representatives, to explore ways to attract more foreign tourists.
To strengthen the inbound tourism foundation centered on Daegu International Airport, the province will first support the expansion of international routes and charter flight operations at the airport, while building regional city tour programs connecting the airport with major hub areas in Gyeongbuk, as well as an integrated transportation system linking the airport with the rail network.
The province also plans to develop tourism products tied to region-specific resources such as traditional culture, cuisine and festivals, and to pursue joint marketing through global online travel agencies (OTAs).
To this end, the province will establish a cooperation framework with related institutions and will petition the central government for state funding needed to advance the projects. It also plans to review measures including revitalizing rail tourism along the East Coast, creating specialized tourism zones in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, strengthening Pohang-Gyeongju Airport's function as a business-focused gateway, and developing broader tourism initiatives linked with Gimhae and Cheongju airports.
The rising trend in foreign visitors to Gyeongbuk since APEC is also borne out in the data. According to the Korea Tourism Data Lab, 1.45 million foreign tourists visited Gyeongbuk in the fourth quarter of last year, when APEC was held, up 20% from the same quarter a year earlier. In the first quarter of this year, 1.01 million visited the province, a 7% increase from the same period a year earlier, continuing the upward trend.
"We will concentrate our efforts on strengthening an inbound tourism foundation that links tourism, transportation and content around Daegu Airport, and on expanding the inflow of foreign tourists so that Gyeongbuk tourism can take a step forward," said Hwang Myung-seok, acting governor of North Gyeongsang Province and administrative vice governor.
Meanwhile, the government plans to continue the "Relay Cooperation Forum," touring major local airport regions including Gimhae and Cheongju following Daegu, to prepare a plan for developing local airports as inbound tourism hubs.
