Bosan-dong's special tourist zone in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, is empty, May 20, 2021. Korea Times file2 By Jung Da-hyun Special tourist zones, established to attract foreign visitors and boost the local economy, have largely fallen short of their goals, according to data from municipal administrations, Friday. Many of these zones struggle to attract tourists, and most fall short of meeting the original aims set for the initiative.
The special tourist zones, introduced under the Tourism Promotion Act in 1993, were created to develop key destinations across the country into international tourist hubs. Initially, Gyeongju, Jeju, Mount Seorak, Haeundae and Yuseongcheon Hot Springs in Daejeon were designated as the first special tourist zones in August 1994. The program has since expanded to 34 destinations in 13 cities and provinces nationwide.
However, the majority of these zones are struggling to meet the requirements. To qualify, each special zone must attract over 100,000 foreign tourists annually, but many fall short of this standard. Of the 34 designated zones, 26 do not even track foreign tourist numbers.
Six of the eight zones that collect data failed to meet the required threshold from 2021 to 2023. Only two zones — Busan’s Mount Yongdu and Jagalchi Market — have managed to surpass 100,000 international visitors annually. Seoul, which hosts seven special tourist zones, including Itaewon, Myeong-dong, Jamsil and Dongdaemun Fashion Town, does not currently com.