'Spent 460,000 won, but got 200,000 won back': New 'half-price travel' programs offer tourism for cheap

Gangjin County, South Jeolla's half-price travel initiative refunds tourists, boosting its local economy and tourism, inspiring similar programs in other regions and increasing visitor numbers significantly.

Tourists travel around Gangjin County, South Jeolla, with the county's half-price program. [GANGJIN]

GANGJIN, South Jeolla — Spend a day outside of Seoul, and get half your expenses back. Rural governments are doubling down on reimbursement strategies for travelers in a bid to attract them to their regions during the summer vacation season.

“We spent three days and two nights in Gangjin and spent 460,000 won ($331) — but got 200,000 won back,” 26-year-old Gimpo, Gyeonggi resident Kim Suk-hee reminisced about her recent satisfying trip to Gangjin County, South Jeolla. While staying at a hotel in Gangjin-eup, she visited historical sites such as Dasan Chodang and Baeknyeon Temple, and even tried the zip line on Gau Island — all for just 260,000 won ($187) out of pocket.

“I toured Gangjin’s historic sites — known as the No. 1 destination for cultural exploration in the southern provinces — and even enjoyed local specialties like Byeongyeong-style bulgogi and traditional Korean set meals without spending much at all,” Kim said. “Thanks to the mobile coupons issued by Gangjin County, I traveled in comfort and even brought home local specialties like salted freshwater shrimp and paprika.”

Gangjin’s “half-price travel” initiative — the first of its kind in Korea — is drawing strong interest from tourists and becoming a model for governments nationwide. The program’s reputation for revitalizing the economy and increasing the “resident-style tourist population” is fueling a wave of benchmarking across the country.

As of Aug.17, 33,172 travel groups had applied for the half-price travel program in Gangjin this year and received a combined total of 4.13 billion won in gift certificates. Last year, during the program’s inaugural run, 15,291 groups took part and were reimbursed a total of 2.19 billion won.

Tourists travel around Gangjin County, South Jeolla, with the county's half-price program. [GANGJIN]

The core of the program is simple: Travel groups of two or more people receive a 50 percent refund on their expenses, up to 200,000 won, in the form of Gangjin Love gift certificates. Ahead of the launch last year, Gangjin secured a budget of 10 billion won.

The economic and tourism impact has been tangible. In the past two years, a total of 48,463 travel groups participating in the program spent a combined 13.677 billion won in Gangjin. According to a Bank of Korea input-output analysis, the 2.2 billion won invested in the program last year led to a 24 billion won production impact and more than 10 billion won in added economic value.

The initiative also increases the residential population — including not only permanent residents, but also tourists, commuters and students. Last year, Gangjin recorded 7.09 million total visitors, which was an increase of 740,000 people, or 11.6 percent, compared to the 6.35 million visitors in 2023 before the program began. Tourist numbers alone grew from 2.39 million to 2.82 million during the same period — an increase of 430,000 people, or 18.0 percent.

Tourists travel around Gangjin County, South Jeolla, with the county's half-price program. [GANGJIN]

Sinji Myeongsasimni Beach in Wando County, South Jeolla [WANDO COUNTY]

Businesses have benefited as well, with tourists using the gift certificates for accommodations, dining and specialties such as agricultural, marine and livestock products. In January, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety selected Gangjin’s half-price travel initiative as the top regional economic recovery policy in the country.

President Lee Jae Myung also praised the program during his presidential campaign when he visited Gangjin on May 11 and told voters at the Dasan Historic Site — where philosopher Jeong Yak-yong was exiled — to “enjoy your half-price trip.”

With word spreading that “money is finally circulating in the region,” governments across Korea are adopting similar programs. Since March, neighboring Wando County has launched “Wando Healing Pay,” offering coupons worth up to 210,000 won to travel groups of two or more, based on how much they spend in the area.

That program has already shown results. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, Wando drew 3.72 million tourists in the first half of this year — an increase of 210,000 people, or 6.0 percent, from the 3.51 million recorded in the same period last year. Popular destinations like Sinji Myeongsasimni Beach, Cheongsan Island and the Wando Marine Healing Center each saw their visitor numbers rise by between 40 and 50 percent.

Then-presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung speaks to his supporters in Gangjin, South Jeolla, on May 11. [YONHAP]

Interest in Healing Pay is reflected in the number of applicants. Between March and June, 9,320 travel groups applied, spending a total of 3.3 billion won in Wando and receiving more than 700 million won in coupons. Of the total coupon spending, 39 percent went to restaurants, 34 percent to local specialty products, 24 percent to lodging and 3 percent to cafes.

Yeongam County is also offering travel incentives through the end of the year, refunding up to 240,000 won in local currency. Travel groups of two or more can apply through the “Yeongam Travel 1+1” website within seven days of their trip to receive reimbursement.

“More local governments are tailoring the half-price travel concept to their own regions,” said Gangjin County Mayor Kang Jin-won. “Following Wando and Yeongam, cities and counties in Gyeonggi, the Chungcheong region, Hadong County in South Gyeongsang, Sangju in North Gyeongsang, and Haenam, Yeosu and Jeonju in South Jeolla are all benchmarking Gangjin’s approach.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY CHOI KYEONG-HO [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]