Culinary stamp tour covers three zones — Yeongdeungpo-dong, Mullae-dong, and Yangpyeong-Dangsan
Visitors who dine at five or more restaurants receive a commemorative passport case
Yeongdeungpo-gu in Seoul is launching a "local gourmet stamp tour" centered on the district's major commercial areas, the district office announced Monday, inviting tourists to document their dining experiences through a specially designed booklet.
The tour works much like collecting passport stamps while traveling abroad — visitors fill a "gourmet passport" with their own records as they explore the district's food scene.
The district has produced a new scrapbook-style gourmet passport in which visitors can jot down restaurant reviews, flavor notes and other impressions. Designed to resemble an actual passport, it is compact enough to carry around and doubles as a keepsake. It also includes information on major tourist attractions and recommended itineraries to help visitors plan a fuller culinary trip. Instead of ink stamps, participants attach receipts from restaurants they visit and post reviews on their personal social media accounts as verification.
The passport's content is organized around three of Yeongdeungpo's main commercial zones: Yeongdeungpo-dong, Mullae-dong, and Yangpyeong-Dangsan-dong. Each area's distinct character — the long history of Yeongdeungpo-dong, the youthful creative energy of Mullae-dong, and the riverside spaces of Yangpyeong and Dangsan — is introduced through themes spanning culture, shopping and history.
Visitors who wish to participate can apply through the Yeongdeungpo-gu website starting Tuesday or pick up a passport by scanning a QR code at local festival venues, with the program running through Dec. 20. Those who visit at least five restaurants, attach their receipts to the passport and post a verification entry on social media will receive a passport case as a souvenir.
In addition, the district will place passports throughout the venues of fall festivals — including the Yeongdeungpo Original Beer Festival and the Mullae Network Arts Festival in September — to steer festival-goers toward the neighborhood's side-street eateries. The initiative aims to give visitors a distinctive dining experience while injecting new energy into local small businesses. The district has held the Original Beer Festival since last year; this year's edition runs Friday through Sunday. Yeongdeungpo has billed itself as South Korea's original beer city, having been home to the country's first two breweries — the predecessors of OB Beer and Hite Jinro — when they opened in 1933. The Mullae Network Arts Festival, first held in 2019, is a network-style event that connects local art spaces and organizers while respecting their independence and autonomy.
"I hope visitors will enjoy the special experience of discovering hidden gems and savoring great food against the backdrop of the Han River's charm," Yeongdeungpo-gu District Mayor Jo Yu-jin said. "We will continue developing products that link local resources with neighborhood businesses as we build Yeongdeungpo into a true tourism destination."
cook@heraldcorp.com
