Gyeongsangbuk-do Gov. Lee Cheol-woo had a meeting with Chinese tourism industry officials and accelerated efforts to publicize Gyeongbuk’s tourism resources and tourist products and attract Chinese tourists.
Gyeongsangbuk-do participated in the “2026 Regional Airport Connected Korea-China Travel Mart and Exchange Session,” which took place at the Andong International Convention Center on Sept. 11, and embarked on exchanges to develop tourism products with Chinse tourist business circles to attract tourists.
The event was hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by Korea Tourism Organization.
It was attended by roughly 350 people, including Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young, KTO President Park Sang-hyeuck, Chmn. Lee Jin-suk of the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA), officials of Chinese travel associations, major travel agencies and Korean counterparts.
Gyeongsangbuk-do participated in an explanation session designed to invigorate regional tourism industries connected with provincial airports and the B2B Travel Mart and introduced regional airports as well as tourism content connected with Gyeongbuk’s tourism resources.
In particular, the provincial government suggested tourism routes in which inbound tourists entering Daegu, Cheongju and Gimhae airports, can be transported to Gyeongbuk’s major tourist sites and conducted B2B consultation and on-the-spot publicities targeting Chinese travel industry circles.
The provincial government plans to pursue merchandising of Gyeongbuk’s tourism resources. Gyeongbuk will induce inbound tourists entering through provincial airports and join forces to spread inbound tourism demand concentrated on the Seoul metropolitan area.
Gov. Lee Cheol-woo personally introduced Gyeongbuk’s culture and tourism resources to Chinese tourism industry officials at the Korean-Chinese travel business exchange session.
Gov. Lee said, “Gyeongbuk is Korea’s culture tourism depository enlivened with Shilla, Confucian and Gaya historical culture, hanok and traditional family cultures, as well as the birth place of Confucian culture in which tourists can appreciate K-culture and K-culture on top of long-time history and heritage, eat and enjoy.”
“We hope this opportunity will serve as the chance for Chinese tourism industry officials to look at Gyeongbuk and develop good tourism products and have Gyeongbuk’s charm known to China, and we will redouble efforts to expand exchanges with Chinse tourism industry circles so that more Chinese tourists can visit Gyeongbuk,” he said.
Gyeongbuk Joins Forces with MCST to Usher in ‘Provincial Area-Oriented Culture and Tourism Era’
Gyeongsangbuk-do had a meeting with Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young and discussed ways of connecting Gyeongbuk’s standing, raised by international events, to the competitiveness of its culture and tourism sectors.
The meeting came as MCST Minister Choi made his first visit to Gyeongsangbuk-do provincial government since his inauguration, and its purpose was designed to look into Andong, a regional tourism site attracting inbound tourists.
Minister Choi shared the view that cultural gaps between the Seoul metropolitan area and provincial areas are wide, and he was committed to creating a better cultural environment in provincial areas than the Seoul metropolitan area on top of offering fiscal support from national coffers.
The minister pledged to find solutions from provincial areas to address an issue of tourists’ concentration on the Seoul metropolitan area and he asked for regional cooperation to develop specialized culture and tourism content and build tourism infrastructure.
Gyeongsangbuk-do demanded regularizing the “Global Gyeongju Forum,” establishing “Gyeongju APEC Culture Center” and renovating the Bomun Tourism Complex on a large-scale to make the most of international networking and cultural and diplomatic achievements, made on the occasion of the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju and the Korea-Japan Summit in Andong, as sustainable tourism assets.
The provincial government asked for the central government’s concern and support in attracting several state-run cultural institutions to reduce cultural gaps and invigorate provincial areas-oriented cultural ecosystem by expanding cultural infrastructure concentrated on the Seoul metropolitan area to provincial areas.
Gyeongbuk explained that it was emerging as a popular destination because of location sites of dramas and OTT films and proposed the need to build a K-content production foundation using rich cultural resources, such as global cultural heritage and traditional culture and excellent natural environment.
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