Visitors return and stay longer — No. 1 in length of stay, No. 2 in card spending
Yeongam-gun's lifestyle population — a statistical measure combining registered residents with temporary visitors — reached a cumulative 715,457 in the first quarter of this year. The county recorded the highest return visitor rate and average length of stay among the 16 population-declining areas in South Jeolla Province.
According to the "Q1 2026 Lifestyle Population Calculation Results" released by the National Statistics Data Center on July 30, the county's lifestyle population for January through March comprised 181,254 registered residents and 534,203 temporary visitors.
Quality indicators for the visiting population also stood out. Yeongam-gun's return visitor rate — the share of temporary visitors who had previously visited — rose from 46.3 percent in 2024 to 54.9 percent last year, then came in at 52.9 percent this year, ranking first among the 16 population-declining areas in South Jeolla Province.
The average length of stay has held above 5.9 days for three consecutive years, again placing first in the province this year. The average number of overnight stays increased from 5.6 days in 2024 to 5.9 days this year, tying for first in South Jeolla Province.
Spending by temporary visitors also grew. The average card expenditure per visitor rose from 154,300 won ($109) in 2024 to 160,300 won this year, ranking second in the province.
Taken together, Yeongam-gun ranked first in South Jeolla Province in return visitor rate and average length of stay, tied for first in average overnight stays, and placed second in per-visitor card spending in the first quarter. The figures indicate that the county is cultivating a lifestyle population that does not simply pass through but returns, lingers and spends locally.
Yeongam-gun plans to use the findings to shape its lifestyle population policy — activating community-led local festivals and village cooperative activities, and expanding stay-oriented content tied to tourism, culture and other local resources. The county aims to broaden the base of visitors and residents who form lasting ties with the area and engage in ongoing exchange, channeling that energy into local vitality.
"In an era of population decline, the people who visit Yeongam, stay, return, and build a relationship with the community are just as important a source of local strength as registered residents," county chief Woo Seung-hee said. "We will connect Yeongam's tourism, cultural and agricultural resources with local communities so that more people can stay, spend and interact here. We will build a Yeongam where the lifestyle population translates into economic vitality and new possibilities for settlement."
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