Chungbuk and Chungnam are expanding their wellness and cultural offerings to attract more visitors beyond the country’s major cities
The provinces of Chungcheongnam-do (Chungnam) and Chungcheongbuk-do (Chungbuk) may not be as well known as the South Korean capital city, but their natural landscapes and cultural attractions are at the centre of efforts to attract more international visitors.
From 2024 to 2025, Chungnam’s inbound visitors came primarily from Japan, Taiwan and the US. This year, the province is targeting growth from South-east Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Meanwhile, Chungbuk’s top inbound markets are China, Vietnam and Japan, although it is also seeing rapid growth from the Philippines, the UK, Canada and Mongolia. The province aims to attract four million visitors annually and increase the share of overnight tourism to 30 per cent.
To achieve these targets, both provincial governments have introduced initiatives to support tourism growth.
The Chungnam Culture & Tourism Foundation is implementing the Ultra-wide Tourism Transportation Innovation Leading District Project to improve accessibility within the province.
Chungbuk has introduced the Foreign Tourist Attraction Incentive Program for 2026, providing tiered incentives to domestic and international travel agencies for overnight stays, day tours, experiential tourism and charter flights.
From 2026 to 2028, Chungbuk is undertaking a Wellness Tourism Cluster Development project, a government-funded initiative focused on developing wellness tourism resources, products, brand identity and talent. The Chungbuk Cultural Foundation is also participating in tourism fairs in markets including Japan and China, while organising familiarisation trips.
On the product front, Chungnam is positioning itself as a place for healing.
“We aim to transform Chungnam into a hub for high-value-added tourism by attracting large-scale international conferences and incentive groups through the new convention centre in Cheonan, scheduled for completion at the end of 2027,” said Lim Jong-gwan, team leader, Tourism Marketing Team at the Chungnam Culture & Tourism Foundation.
The province’s event calendar includes the inaugural Taean International Horticulture & Healing Expo in May and the Boryeong Mud Festival in summer. In 2027, it will host the Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo and the Boryeong Island Biennale.
Chungbuk is focusing on developing stay-based tourism products that combine natural landscapes, traditional culture, local cuisine and wellness. Despite lacking a coastline, the province is home to some of South Korea’s largest lakes.
New tourism products include the Mancheonha Skywalk, Cheongpung Lake Cable Car and Jecheon’s Yakchaerak medicinal food brand. The central zone offers wellness experiences at Cheongnamdae, the former presidential retreat, forest healing programmes at Maengdong Healing Forest and cultural activities at Pumba Art Village.
In the southern zone, the province has established the Okboyoung brand, covering the towns of Okcheon, Boeun and Yeongdong, to promote wine, traditional culture and nature-based healing experiences.
Chris Kwon, team leader of the Global Tourism Team at the Chungbuk Cultural Foundation, said the province is also developing “specialised itineraries linked to K-Beauty experiences, Korean drama filming locations, and major international events in 2027, including World Youth Day and the Chungcheong World University Games”.
Chungbuk and Chungnam are developing pilgrimage routes linked to World Youth Day 2027, which will be held in Seoul and is expected to attract around one million participants.
The provinces have also expanded visitor support services, including multilingual guide services at major tourism sites.
Chungnam has introduced a foreign-language reservation and payment system through a smart mobility platform linked to the C-Tour Bus, which connects Cheongju International Airport with Gongju and Buyeo.
The C-Square Travel Lounge, which opened in November 2025 near Yongdusaji Cheoldanggan Square in Cheongju, offers K-Beauty experiences, local dining and shopping information, luggage storage, as well as tax refund and currency exchange services.
Visitors can also use the C-Pass Shopping Voucher, a digital voucher accepted at more than 50 participating businesses in key commercial districts.
For trade partners, Chungbuk’s Global Tourism Team provides support for group travel, including itinerary planning, transport assistance, interpretation services, marketing materials and familiarisation tours.
Cheongju International Airport supports access to Chungbuk and Chungnam. It operates 19 international routes linking cities in Japan, China, Mongolia, Vietnam and the Philippines, among others. Travellers can also hop on the high-speed rail from Seoul, which will bring them to Cheongju in 41 minutes.
Travel within the provinces is easy too, facilitated by the C-Tour Bus and the Tourism DRT (Demand Responsive Transit), an on-demand transport service.
