Kangwon Land Project to Make High 1 Resort into Global Tourist Spot is Paying Off

Night view of High1 Resort Grand Hotel. (Photo: Kangwon Land)

Kangwon Land has been implementing the Korea-High1-Integrated Tourism (K-HIT) Project to make a global multi-purpose resort.

Such efforts have begun to pay off on the back of exploring new overseas markets and expanding tourism infrastructure, as High1 Resort saw foreign visitors for 2025-26 winter season surge by 28,000 people compared to the previous season.

Under the K-HIT Project, High1 Resort, run by Kangwon Land, aims to become a four-season, multi-purpose global resort encompassing ski, golf, water park and wellness- a departure from a simple casino concept.

High1 Resort has been accelerating a shift into a world-class stay tourist spot by exploring new emerging markets, such as Mongolia, Russia and Central Asia, making a facility renewal and ramping up services tailored for global needs.

The project involves not just expanding casino facilities, but it also targets the establishment of a stay-type tourism platform encompassing multiple functions, such as tourism, leisure and wellness.

The project is expected to lay a foundation for growth as a global multi-purpose resort that can absorb a variety of tourism needs, departing from a casino-oriented resort concept.

Kangwon Land’s global tourism strategy has led to a jump in the number of visitors.

High1 Resort saw foreign customers surge to about 43,000 for 2025-26 winter season, a jump of about 28,000 visitors compared to the previous season.

The feat is owed to the expanding of content tailored for global markets and strategies to build four-season, multi-purpose tourism infrastructure.

Kangwon Land operated a one-stop service lounge for exclusive use of foreign customers during the winter season and offered a variety of services, such as consulting, guiding and tourism information.

It also expanded a multi-language guide system and ramp up transportation connectivity services designed to boost foreign visitors’ transportation convenience.

In keeping with the tourism industry’s latest trend of prioritizing customers’ experiences over the competitiveness of simple facilities, Kangwon Land has endeavored to minimize inconveniences foreign customers experience due to language and cultural differences.

These initiatives have contributed to an expanding clientele, including not only casino-oriented tourists, but also free independent travelers (FIT), increasing their stays and having favorable influence on revisiting.

Exploring Mongolia, Russia and Central Aisa to Diversify Overseas Tourism Markets

Kangwon Land has accelerated efforts to explore new overseas markets to attract inbound tourists.

Going further from the conventional marketing activities targeting Southeast Asia and Chinese spheres, Kangwon Land has made its utmost efforts to explore new markets, such as Mongolia, Russia and Central Asia.

The resort recently expanded tourist exchanges of both countries and ramped up joint publicity activities in cooperation with Mongolia’s representative tourism agency, while expanding a cooperative project to attract Russian tourists.

Kangwon Land is expanding a foundation to attract foreign tourists based on general sales agreements with local travel agencies in other countries and through cooperative networks.

The resort, for its part, focuses on increasing the satisfaction of tourists by developing stay-type tourist products combining accommodation, leisure and local tours.

Kangwon Land boasts of its competitiveness as a four-season, multi-purpose tourism resort targeting inbound tourists.

In the winter season, High1 Ski Resort offers the nation’s best-quality snow and a variety of hills.

Recently, it operated a one-stop service lounge for foreigners’ exclusive use and offered a one-day ski tour at the global ski festival “High 1 Gogo Ski Festival”.

They also received differentiated winter tourism experiences with a variety of K-culture experience programs, including “Asia Model Festival,” taking place in November.

Summer’s representative content is the Water World with indoor and outdoor facilities, which gains popularity among family tourists. The uniquely cool climate of the local highland area raises the competitiveness of its tourism value.

High1 Country Club, located in a high-land area, attracts foreign and Korean golfers on the back of a superb landscape and course quality.

In particular, wellness programs, such as “Perfumery Class,” “K-food Making,” and “Oriental Medicine Tea Therapy” enjoy popularity among foreign tourists who want to experience Korean culture.

(LAST) Recently, Kangwon Land is expanding its competitiveness as a four-season tourist spot that encompasses trekking, golf and nature recreation - beyond the image of a ski-oriented winter tourist spot.

The natural environment of a highland area, located more than 1,300 meters above the sea level, makes a difference unlike a typical urban-type, multi-purpose resort, offering key resources attracting a variety of tourism demand through the four seasons.

Kangwon Land undertaking renovations to boost the number of foreign tourist arrivals and ramp up the competitiveness of the multi-purpose tourist resort.

High1 Resort is focusing on creating an outstanding customer experience by improving facilities, focused on the guestrooms and auxiliary facilities.

It plans to raise foreign and Korean customers’ satisfaction by implanting project to improve major space areas, such as casino and food and beverage facilities, on a gradual basis.

The renovations are designed to raise go beyond a simple overhaul to boosting customer experience overall.

Not only the guestrooms, but also public spaces and leisure facilities will be improved on a gradual basis.

Kangwon Land plans to ramp up its competitiveness as a global, multi-purpose resort by introducing world-class landmark facilities and building a wellness resort and “K-comprehensive leisure-sport park” in the future.

Kangwon Land, created to reinvigorate the economy of the closed mining area, is evolving to become a four-season, stay-over tourist hotspot for global tourists.

The K-HIT Project, combined with exploring overseas markets and diversifying tourism content, is expected to accelerate its bid to change Kangwon Land a global multi-purpose resort.

Kangwon Land’s efforts to attract inbound tourists by making the most of so-called K-culture have paid off.

Kangwon Land said on April 1 that High1 Resort saw foreign visitors surge 54 percent during the 2025-26 winter season compared to the previous season.

The number of foreign tourists who came to High1 Resort during the recent winter season stood at about 43,000, a jump from 28,000 last season.

Business sources said the surge is owed to the strengthening of content tailored to the needs of the global market, coupled with four-season resort infrastructure.

Kangwon Land’s own programs, such as the wellness program “Korean Scent Class” and “K-food experience program” have attracted the attention of some foreigners. Unique experience programs, such as tourist products connected with touring of a coal industry transition area, have also played a part, leading to a good reception.

Kangwon Land had strengthened user’s convenience by creating “one-stop lounge” targeting foreigners centering around High1 Ski Resort and operating one-day ski tours and the global ski festival, named “High1 Go Go Ski Festival.”

Strategies to diversify access routes have contributed to improving business.

Kangwon Land has expanded channels of attracting inbound customers by attracting group tourists via chartered flights through Yangyang International Airport.

Lee Min-ho, acting chief of the Tourist Marketing Division at Kangwon Land, said, “We’ve been accelerating efforts to attract inbound tourist in keeping with the government’s goal of luring 30 million foreign tourists, and Kangwon Land will ramp up global competitiveness by expanding products based on K-culture, such as wellness and traditional Korean culture experiences in the future.”

High1 Resort Selected as ‘Excellent Wellness Tourist Destination’ by KTO for 4th Consecutive Year

High1 Resort, owned and operated by Kangwon Land, has been selected as one of the “excellent wellness tourist destinations” for four years in a row.

Some places with excellent tourist facilities and programs have been designated as “excellent wellness” tourist destinations by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization.

High1 Resort, boasting a pristine natural environment, 1,340 meters above sea level, has been evaluated highly for continuously strengthening stay-over healing programs that go beyond a resting place using indoor and outdoor wellness infrastructure.

Integrated wellness environment conditions comprising the woods, meditation, healing programs, like tea therapy and foot bath relaxation courses, have been selected as the resort’s competitive edge.

Outcomes of the “2025 Excellent Wellness Tourist Destination Satisfaction Survey,” conducted by the KTO, showed that 81.7 percent of customers of High1 Resort replied that they saw an improvement to their health.

High1 Resort plans to make a leap forward as a global wellness resort.

High1 Resort plans to upgrade programs in time for the opening of an “infinity pool” at its hotel and present differentiated healing experiences to Korean and international tourist by attracting global wellness workshops and large-sized wellness fests.

Lee of the Tourist Marketing Division said, “The feat of being selected as one of excellent wellness tourist destinations for the fourth consecutive year is the outcomes of our efforts to develop customer-oriented wellness content, and High1 Resort will spearhead on the global wellness tourism market by showcasing high-quality healing experiences it can exclusively offer on the backdrop of the pristine natural environment.”