Program expands to three courses combining farm experiences and tourist attractions
Gangneung is upgrading its rural tourism offering with the launch of "Gangneung Rural Experience Travel, Nongdurail," a program built around three courses — two day-trip options and one overnight itinerary.
Until last year, the program offered only day-trip packages. This year, the city added an overnight course to meet growing demand for longer stays and to boost local spending. Each course lets visitors sample Gangneung's natural scenery, arts scene and farm culture in a single trip.
Day-trip Course 1 begins with a KTX ride from Seoul Station directly to Gangneung, followed by a hands-on activity at a participating farm village or agricultural education center. Visitors choose from making a lavender buckwheat pillow, preparing Chodang tofu or trying a millstone coffee experience. The itinerary then moves on to Jumunjin Fish Market, the Design Thinking Museum and the Anmok Beach coffee street.
Day-trip Course 2 centers on a persimmon tart-making session at Jeonggami Village, after which participants visit Jeongdongjin Hourglass Park, Jeongdongjin Beach, Haslla Art World and Gangneung Jungang Market.
The new overnight course opens with visits to Chodang Sundubu Village, the Anmok Beach coffee street and Gangneung Jungang Market, then moves to Wangsan Hanok Village for a night's stay and a birch-wood night-light crafting session. The second day includes a potato ongshimi dumpling-making class and stops at Solhyang Arboretum and Jumunjin Fish Market, giving participants a deeper look at Gangneung's rural culture and natural environment.
The Nongdurail packages — which combine farm activities, coastal scenery and local attractions in a single itinerary — are bookable through the Gangwon Province section of Korail's travel product platform. Korail provides discounted KTX fares, while Gangneung city covers tour bus fees, farm activity costs and, for the overnight course, accommodation.
Prices range from 94,200 won to 108,400 won (about $71) per adult and may vary depending on departure date and itinerary. The price includes round-trip KTX fares, activity fees, tour bus costs and accommodation where applicable.
As tourism trends shift from simple sightseeing toward immersive, longer stays, Gangneung expects the expanded overnight offerings to increase the time visitors spend in the area, drive more traffic to rural experience villages and generate a broader economic impact for the local community.
"Nongdurail is a distinctive flagship rural tourism product that lets visitors experience both Gangneung's farm culture and its top attractions in one trip," said Lee Seok-hyeon, head of the city's agricultural policy division. "We will keep developing differentiated tourism products that draw on rural and local resources to meet evolving visitor demand and help revitalize rural communities."
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