Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival Draws Record 1.86 Million Visitors
Creatrip Team
a year ago
The 20th Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, a unique global winter festival in Korea, concluded with a record 1.86 million visitors, surpassing the 2019 high of 1.84 million. Notably, over 120,000 foreign tourists attended, showcasing the festival's international appeal. Known as a "million festival," it again demonstrated its ability to boost local tourism despite cold weather challenges and heavy snowfall. Popular activities included ice fishing and barehanded fishing. The festival significantly promoted regional economic growth, with local goods sales exceeding 9 billion KRW (Korean Won, South Korean currency). Additional attractive features were night events and large-scale ice sculpture exhibitions. Mayor Choi Moon-soon expressed a vision of expanding to a year-round tourist destination, highlighting its potential for fostering family-centered tourism patterns. However, parking issues remain a challenge to be addressed.
