CRI

 [ABSTRACT]

  Recently, South Korea is facing the acceleration of population decline, the phenomenon of population reversal between the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, and other challenges related to population issues. Particularly, the issue of population decline is more severe in non-metropolitan areas, intensifying concerns about regional depopulation along with the economic damages caused by population decline. The government is making efforts to address these issues by enacting relevant laws, providing support, and initiating policy projects. Meanwhile, tourism is used as a useful policy tool to minimize economic damage caused by population decline and create added value in the region through tourists' consumption expenditures. In particular, residential tourism is being discussed as a form of tourism that affects the local economy as well as the inflow of new populations.

  Chungbuk Province has six out of eleven basic local governments designated as areas with population decline by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the overall population continues to show a continuous decrease. Therefore, effective policy measures that respond to population decline through long-stay tourism need to be explored. This study aims to derive directions for activating long-stay tourism in Chungbuk Province to address population decline. To achieve this, the study first defined the concept of long-stay tourism in Chungbuk based on a literature review. Additionally, it reviewed government policies, relevant cases, and the current status of long-stay tourism in Chungbuk to derive policy directions for activating long-stay tourism.

  Based on the research results, five policy directions were presented. Firstly, establishing a foundation for tourism policy formulation based on data is recommended. This involves conducting regular surveys and big data analysis to understand the diverse needs and behaviors of tourists, creating a system to incorporate these results into tourism policy formulation. Secondly, the development of specialized content for long-stay tourism is proposed. By coordinating with ongoing government projects, such as the activation of nighttime tourism and workation, unique content for long-stay tourism, such as nighttime city tours, night markets, and fair camping, should be developed. Thirdly, the development and strengthening of the brand for long-stay tourism and marketing enhancement are suggested. Developing a brand system, including long-stay tourism BI, slogans, etc., that leaves a lasting impression on tourists is crucial. The brand should emphasize the relaxing and leisure-oriented aspects of Chungbuk, utilizing images of rivers, lakes, mountains, and other natural features. Fourthly, enhancing and improving accommodation capacity for long-stay tourism are vital. To supplement the shortage of accommodation in Chungbuk, various forms of accommodation should be explored, and large-scale accommodations such as condominiums need to be expanded. Additionally, there is a need for checks and improvements in food, shopping, tourism information, transportation systems, etc., to extend the stay of tourists. Finally, infrastructure enhancement for the activation of long-stay tourism is essential. To activate long-stay tourism, it is necessary to strengthen the foundation, including incentive systems for travel agencies, Chungbuk tourism quality certification, and governance structures involving various stakeholders.