A view of Daegu City Hall's Dong-in-dong annex. [Provided by Daegu]
A view of Daegu City Hall's Dong-in-dong annex. [Provided by Daegu]

Daegu announced Friday it will deploy supplementary budget funds to attract both domestic and foreign tourists, starting with the upcoming Chuseok holiday and the fall travel peak season.

A range of events is lined up in Daegu this autumn, including the 23rd Daegu International Opera Festival, a special exhibition on Joseon-era painter Jeong Seon at the Daegu Gansong Art Museum, a tteokbokki festival and a makchang (grilled beef intestine) festival.

The city said it will launch an active overseas marketing drive to draw foreign visitors.

With direct routes to Chinese-speaking markets expanding steadily — following the launch of Hong Kong and Qingdao routes last year and an increase in Shanghai flights this year — Daegu plans to step up promotional marketing in those cities. The city will hold tourism briefings in Shanghai, Qingdao and Hong Kong to raise Daegu's profile as a travel destination.

For domestic tourists, Daegu will participate in the second-half edition of the Korea Accommodation Sale Festa, a program run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.

The city plans to offer discount coupons for hotel bookings in Daegu to ease the cost of staying and help visitors explore the city's diverse attractions more fully.

Daegu will also expand a facility-improvement project for local accommodation providers to better accommodate group tourists. Using the supplementary budget, the city will recruit additional participating businesses and subsidize the cost of creating twin rooms and setting up simple breakfast services.

"Through the supplementary budget, we will push ahead without a hitch — from attracting tourists to improving visitor convenience — so that both domestic and foreign tourists come to Daegu and leave with a satisfying experience," said Hwangbo Ran, director of Daegu's culture, sports and tourism bureau.


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