South Chungcheong Province pushes to hit 50 million tourists this year

South Chungcheong Province, which last year drew 40 million tourists for the first time in history, is making a final push to reach 50 million visitors this year.

The provincial government held its second tourism coordination meeting of 2026 on Wednesday at the provincial office's video conference room, gathering officials from all 15 cities and counties to review the progress and results of the "Visit Chungnam 2025-2026" campaign.

The meeting was convened to share first-half achievements and discuss ways to improve the tourism experience for visitors.

During the Visit Chungnam period, the province has been pursuing a range of projects built around four core strategies: improving tourism readiness, expanding tourism content linked to local resources, raising the province's profile through strategic promotion and marketing, and strengthening tourism infrastructure.

In the first half of this year, the province focused on six priorities: operating demand-responsive transport in the Baekje Historic and Cultural Zone; expanding hospitality service training for restaurant and accommodation workers; drawing in lifestyle-oriented visitors and extending their stays through workcation packages, the Chungnam Tour Pass and accommodation discount festivals; running signature content including the West Sea Sunset Dining experience and a retro romance train; providing monthly tourism content and travel benefits through the "Monthly Chungnam" platform; and expanding regional tourism hubs and stay-oriented tourism infrastructure.

The province and its 15 cities and counties plan to concentrate their administrative efforts on continuously raising tourism service quality and creating a comfortable tourism environment — both to bring the Visit Chungnam campaign to a successful close and to prepare for large-scale events next year.

The province also intends to crack down on price gouging and tighten cleanliness and hygiene management at tourist sites, while improving tourism information services and visitor guidance facilities.

"Through the Visit Chungnam campaign, we have been improving tourism readiness and expanding tourism content and programs to strengthen the overall quality of tourism in the province," a provincial official said. "We will continue working to establish a visitor experience that tourists can truly feel, bring the Visit Chungnam campaign to a successful conclusion, and make South Chungcheong one of the most sought-after destinations in the country by the ninth elected-term administration."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute's 2025 National Travel Survey showed that South Chungcheong Province's visitor rate stood at 9.2 percent, placing it fifth nationwide — up one spot from the previous year — while tourist satisfaction rose five places to rank eighth nationally.