'Our Camino de Santiago': Tourism minister focuses on attracting visitors to Korea Dulle Trail

The Korea Dulle Trail, which stretches 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) along the edge of the peninsula opened on Sept. 23, attracting hundreds of local trekkers both on weekdays and weekends.

Yu In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

The Korea Dulle Trail, which stretches 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) along the edge of the peninsula opened on Sept. 23, attracting hundreds of local trekkers both on weekdays and weekends. However, a lack of English information — like an app to inform trekkers about nearby accommodation or even English signposts to guide those traveling along the route — has been hindering efforts to attract foreign trekkers to try out the Korean trail. Tourism Minister Yu In-chon, however, is determined to make this trail the Korean version of the Camino de Santiago that attracts hordes of global tourists to Spain, adding that his ministry will introduce a foreign language guide system next year.

Korea Dulle Trail [JOONGANG ILBO]

"We'll first start by promoting the Haeparang Trail that goes through Sokcho and Gangneung in Gangwon and Busan, which is the most popular trail among foreign tourists, as a globally recommended walking trail, and then introduce the foreign language guide system together,” Yu told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Nov. 1.

“The foreign language guide system includes setting up English signposts and launching a mobile app.”

As an avid cyclist himself, Yu also said he's been noticing more and more international cyclists eyeing Korea as their next travel destination. Starting this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been developing its so-called Historical Site Pilgrimage Bicycle Trail. So far, four courses have been developed, which stop at important locations related to the Korean War (1950-53), such as the Chuncheon Korean War Monument, Monument for the Participation of the British Commonwealth in the Korean War, Korean War Monument to the French Army, Jipyeong Righteous Army and Chipyong-Ni Battle Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial in Jeju and the Pyeonghwa Nuri DMZ Bicycle Path in Cheorwon County, Gangwon, among many others.

"We've noticed foreigners' high level of interest in both historical sites and Korea's security landscape,” said Yu. “Considering this, we decided to develop different trails that connect historic sites and regional tourist attractions and are creating tour packages for cyclists.”

“In collaboration with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, we also plan to develop tours related to the Korean War and invite tourists from participating countries and operate various visitor attraction programs to raise global awareness about these initiatives,” Yu added.

Yu stressed that all these initiatives have been drawn up while also considering the government's goals of attracting 30 million annual foreign tourists by 2027 and 20 million inbound tourists in 2024.

But even if the goals are reached, inbound tourism is still heavily focused in major areas like Seoul, Busan and Jeju. So, it's inevitable for the country to face tourist overcrowding without setting up proper infrastructure first.

Tourism Minister Yu In-chon visits Baengmagoji Memorial Park in Cheorwon on his bicycle to develop the Historical Site Pilgrimage Bicycle Trail on Oct. 27. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

Yu said that is why most of the tourism-related projects initiated by his ministry for the past year, including the Korea Dulle Trail and the pilgrimage bicycle trail, are focused on promoting Korea's rural areas.

The Tourism Ministry also launched the Local 100 project in October last year, selecting 100 local towns in Korea in a bid to introduce the country's hidden gems to the public. Yu, however, admitted that accessibility has to be improved at the same time.

“Korea has so many unique attractions in the rural areas. There is so much more to see than just Seoul, Busan and Jeju. However, foreign visitors often find local tourism less accessible compared to the major cities, mainly due to the difficulty of transportation and less convenient local travel options,” said Yu. "In order to solve that problem, starting next year, we plan to enhance transportation options by connecting major transit hubs, such as KTX stations, to key local tourist attractions, and will continue improving accessibility to regional tourism based on foreign visitors’ needs.”

Yu also added that the ministry has been "working with related agencies to improve the ease of booking and payment for transportation services like trains, intercity buses and taxis for foreign tourists.”

“To help foreign visitors travel easily within these regions, we’re conducting nationwide pilot operations of the 'K.ride' mobility app and supporting the introduction of demand-responsive transit services,” he said.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]