Buncheon Santa Village opens resort on former school site to lure overnight visitors

Buncheon Santa Village in Bonghwa-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, is reinventing itself — from a day-trip destination into a place where visitors stay.

Bonghwa-gun announced Thursday that it has officially opened Santa Forest Resort, built on the site of the former Buncheon Branch Elementary School in Socheon-myeon.

Buncheon Santa Village is one of South Korea's best-known winter tourism destinations, operating year-round under the theme of "365 days of Christmas." It draws between 90,000 and 100,000 visitors each winter season.

In recent years, the village has expanded its appeal beyond winter by adding a four-season sledding slope, a Frozen Kingdom attraction and a flower garden.

Despite the growing attractions, most tourists arrive for the day and leave without spending the night, limiting the economic benefit to local businesses.

Bonghwa-gun chose to build a stay-oriented lodging facility as its answer to that problem.

Santa Forest Resort sits on the former school site, a short drive from Buncheon Santa Village. The complex covers 10,320 square meters, with a total floor area of 1,603 square meters. It offers 15 guest rooms and four animal-character caravans, along with a cafe, a dining space, a meeting room, a classroom and a business lounge.

The business lounge and meeting room were designed with corporate retreats, small workshops and workcation stays in mind, reflecting an ambition to serve a broader range of guests beyond ordinary overnight visitors.

Bonghwa-gun also plans to expand stay-oriented tourism products using the resort as a base.

The county intends to develop itineraries of at least one night and two days linking Buncheon Santa Village, the Frozen Kingdom, the Nakdonggang Sepyeong Sky Trail, the East-West Trail, the Korea National Arboretum of Baekdudaegan and Cheongnyang Mountain. Lodging packages tied to local festivals — including the Bonghwa Sweetfish Festival and the Bonghwa Pine Mushroom Festival — are also planned.

"Santa Forest Resort is not simply a lodging facility — it is the starting point for transforming Buncheon Santa Village into a destination where people stay," Bonghwa-gun chief Choi Gi-yeong said. "We will extend visitors' time in the area so that local commerce and the tourism industry can grow together."