Gyeongsangbuk-do held the 'Three Major Cultural Zones Policy Transformation City and County Tourism Division Heads Meeting' on Thursday, September 3, at the Provincial Government Hwabaekdang Hall, with around 70 participants including the Director-General of Culture, Tourism and Sports, the Head of Tourism Policy, tourism division heads from cities and counties, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture & Tourism Organization, and the Gyeongbuk Research Institute.

This meeting was arranged to share the direction of the major policy shift for the Three Major Cultural Zones Initiative with cities and counties, examine the current status of each project site, and gather feedback from the field.

The Three Major Cultural Zones Initiative was a national project implemented from 2010 to 2021 to expand regional tourism infrastructure by utilizing Confucian, Silla, and Gaya cultures alongside ecological resources, resulting in the creation of 46 project sites across 22 cities and counties.

While foundational revitalization efforts have been laid through ordinance revisions, content and facility improvements, joint promotions, and tour passes, structural issues such as chronic deficits and low visitor numbers have persisted due to differing conditions across project sites.

Accordingly, the province plans to diagnose the root causes of problems across all project sites and devise fundamental improvement measures. Through a structural diagnosis service, the province will categorize the issues of each project site to review improvement measures such as operational method transitions, functional enhancements, and promotion and branding. Matters requiring legal and institutional improvements will be discussed with relevant ministries, while a transformation implementation committee—composed of the province, cities and counties, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture & Tourism Organization, and the Gyeongbuk Research Institute—along with a transformation committee of private experts, will be operated to establish a permanent performance management system.

This transformation will proceed in three stages: site diagnosis, structural improvement, and self-reliance and performance management. A diagnostic system will be established in 2026, followed by structural improvement measures in 2027, with a gradual transition toward a self-reliant operational model.

Park Chan-woo, Director-General of Culture, Tourism and Sports at Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated that the Three Major Cultural Zones Initiative requires a fundamental policy transformation to foster the practical self-sustainability of spaces rather than mere revitalization. He added that the province will accurately diagnose field problems and execute effective solutions to swiftly transform the three cultural zones into sustainable, representative tourism assets of Gyeongbuk where visitors stay, spend, and return.

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