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[Herald Economy=Reporter Ham Young-hoon] Gangwon Province—leveraging Yeongwol tourism tied to the film The Man Who Lives with the King and the Danjong Cultural Festival—won the grand prize at the Naenara Travel Expo.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Association co-hosted the 2026 Naenara Travel Expo, where Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and the Gangwon Tourism Association took the top award. Gangwon previously earned the grand prize in 2024 and the top award in 2025.
The 2026 Naenara Travel Expo ran March 19–22 at COEX in Magok, Seoul. The four-day event aimed to uncover new domestic travel packages and boost sales through on-site promotions. About 160 domestic and international tourism organizations and local governments participated across 385 booths.
Gangwon operated a promotional pavilion under the concept Everything Travel! Gangwon TRAVEL MALL to highlight the province’s standout attractions and visitor perks.
To stand out from other regional booths, 18 cities and counties teamed up to create a joint promotional space, which drew positive attention. Each municipality hosted two-hour, hands-on events—like regional food tastings—that proved very popular with visitors. Gangwon also partnered with Yeongwol County to promote the Danjong Cultural Festival, aiming to turn the film’s buzz into tourist interest.
Lee Dong-hee, director of tourism for Gangwon Province, said, “This expo gave us a great opportunity to promote Gangwon as South Korea’s tourism capital. We will strengthen cooperation between the provincial and municipal governments and work to elevate Gangwon from a national tourism leader to a global tourism hub.”
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