Earlier rounds saw average spending of about 178,000 won per visitor
Hoengseong-gun, which drew international attention this autumn through its Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival, is launching a bold winter travel promotion that refunds half of visitors' spending.
Under the program, tourists who spend money in Hoengseong-gun receive 50 percent of their travel expenses back as local gift vouchers.
Applications for the "Welcome! Hoengseong Half-Price Travel" project open Monday at 10 a.m. through the program's official website and will remain open until the budget runs out. Travel under the program is eligible from Nov. 17 through Dec. 11.
The program reimburses tourists who spend at participating businesses in Hoengseong-gun 50 percent of their travel expenses via mobile Hoengseong regional gift vouchers.
Individual visitors can receive up to 100,000 won ($74), couples or groups of two up to 200,000 won, and families of three to five people sharing the same address up to 500,000 won.
According to Hoengseong-gun, the first three rounds of the program all closed early due to strong demand. A total of 8,437 visitors have completed the reimbursement process so far, with their combined spending in Hoengseong-gun tallying about 1.5 billion won ($1.12 million).
The average spending per visitor came to about 178,000 won, indicating the program has had a tangible effect in boosting tourist consumption within the county.
Issuing refunds as local gift vouchers rather than cash encourages repeat visits and additional spending, the county said, creating a virtuous cycle in which tourist money continues to circulate in the local economy even after the trip ends.
"The Hoengseong Half-Price Travel program is establishing itself as a mutually beneficial tourism project that delivers real travel savings for visitors while driving sales growth for local small businesses," said Park Eun-jeong, head of Hoengseong-gun's culture and tourism division. "We hope people will visit Hoengseong this winter and enjoy both a special trip and a range of benefits amid the county's diverse and appealing tourism offerings."
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