White cherry blossoms bloom at an outdoor campground in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province April 1. Yonhap

Seeking to steer a booming domestic camping market away from the crowded outskirts of the capital region, Korea’s state tourism agency is enlisting private sector muscle to redirect outdoor enthusiasts toward the country's rural provinces.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Thursday that it signed a partnership with Snow Peak Korea, the local arm of the high-end Japanese outdoor brand, to promote safe camping practices and revitalize regional tourism.

Under the agreement, the tourism agency will integrate an aggressive safety and public awareness campaign into Snow Peak’s major outdoor events. Over the course of eight scheduled large-scale camping programs — expected to draw roughly 7,000 participants — the agency will provide real-time guidance on preventing carbon monoxide poisoning and handling open flames or portable heating units. Campers who sign a safety pledge and engage with state-run digital information platform "Go Camping" will receive commemorative promotional goods.

The broader ambition of the partnership, however, is geographic. Over the past several years, outdoor recreation has surged across Korea, accelerated by a pandemic-era craving for nature. Yet a significant portion of that tourism traffic has clogged campsites immediately surrounding the Seoul metropolitan area, leaving regional sites underutilized.

KTO and Snow Peak intend to leverage their respective digital platforms to produce seasonal and thematic travel content, specifically highlighting lesser-known rural and provincial destinations. By channeling affluent urban outdoor enthusiasts toward the provinces, officials hope to inject fresh tourism revenue into flagging regional economies.

“By utilizing Snow Peak’s direct consumer touchpoints, we can significantly expand the scope and effectiveness of our safety initiatives,” said Kwak Jae-yeon, the head of the national tourism support team at KTO. “We will continue to expand our partnerships with the private sector to build a healthier camping environment that the public can safely enjoy.”

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

Source: Korea Times News