Gunsan City is developing the Gogunsan Archipelago, centered around Seonyudo Island, into a night tourism hub.

In particular, the city is fully launching the "Gogunsan Archipelago Luxury Tourist Destination Development Project" to create a tourist attraction that is charming both day and night.

Armed with stunning scenery, unique sights, and experiential attractions characteristic of islands, along with great accessibility, the area has seen a rapid surge in tourists every year. This strategy aims to link this trend with regional economic development through tourism revitalization.

In fact, during the 39-day opening period of Seonyudo Beach from July 10 to August 17, a record-breaking 118,000 visitors were recorded.

The opening of the Ocean Palette in nearby Munyeodo Island and the Gogunsan Island Connecting Road linking Maldo, Myeongdo, and Bangchukdo worked in combination, clearly demonstrating the tourism competitiveness of the Gogunsan Archipelago.

However, despite the scale of tourists, realistic problems arose as the economic impact fell short of expectations.

Unlike daytime when tourists are concentrated, there was a lack of special events at night, revealing limitations in inducing tourists to stay.

Accordingly, the city has prepared a blueprint to transform the Gogunsan Archipelago from a "tourist destination you look at and leave" to a "tourist destination where you stay until night."

The plan is to equip the area with tourism environments to enjoy even at night, extending tourists' length of stay and leading to substantial regional consumption expansion.

The "Gogunsan Archipelago Luxury Tourist Destination Development Project" will inject a total of 5.8 billion won (2.8 billion won from provincial funds and 3 billion won from city funds) by 2028, adding light and media content that brings out the unique characteristics of the Gogunsan Archipelago.

Major projects include ▲ production of maritime cultural storytelling-based video content in Gogunsan, ▲ installation of art-type media mapping production infrastructure in Myeongsipsini, ▲ creation of a walking-tour-type interactive lighting environment, ▲ creation of night photo zones, and ▲ improvement of night tourism accommodation capacity in major pedestrian sections.

In addition, a walking-tour-type lighting environment such as gobo lighting, floor lighting, and rest-area-style night photo zones will be created in the Myeongsipsini-Solseom section.

The city plans to build media production infrastructure utilizing projection mapping and searchlights in the Myeongsipsini area.

The city has established a roadmap to complete the basic and detailed design services by the first half of next year and enter full-scale infrastructure construction from the second half.

Furthermore, the city plans to proceed step-by-step with night events, media mapping contents, and night tourism promotion and marketing.

Kim Moon-sook, Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Gunsan City, stated, "We will focus our administrative power on creating a tourism environment where people can experience the charm of the Gogunsan Archipelago from dusk to night and stay, moving beyond tourism where people just look and leave during the day."

She added, "Through the Gogunsan Archipelago Luxury Tourist Destination Development Project, we will organically connect night landscapes, media art, and experiential programs to foster the Gogunsan Archipelago as a representative night tourist destination on the west coast and ensure meticulous execution of the project so that it can be directly linked to regional economic development."

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