Yangyang Beaches See Surge in Vacationers Amid Recovery

"Please bring us one more parasol."

Dozens of parasols were spread across the sandy beach of Naksan Beach in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do, yesterday (the 6th).

Although it was a weekday afternoon, vacationers continued to visit the sea to escape the heat.

Tourists who finished water activities walked along the sandy beach with wet clothes, and travelers waiting to check in formed lines in the lobbies of accommodations near the beach.

The sight of people pulling carriers toward their lodgings was noticeable everywhere.

Tourist footsteps are returning to Yangyang's beaches, where concerns were once raised about the tarnished local image due to various controversies every summer season.

In particular, the Naksan area is attracting family-unit tourists based on the recent expansion of lodging facilities and stay-type tourism content.

As large-scale accommodations have moved in one after another, spaces to stay have increased, and programs that extend stay times, such as the nighttime opening of the beach, are also contributing to drawing in tourists.

Not only Naksan, but Namae 3-ri Beach is steadily visited by family-unit visitors, and Hajodae is also seeing visits centered on the younger generation, leading Yangyang's summer tourism.

The increasing trend in visitors is also confirmed in statistics.

According to the province, the cumulative number of vacationers at 21 beaches in the Yangyang area this summer until the previous day reached 706,955, an increase of 281,186 (66.0%) compared to 425,769 during the same period last year.

Even under circumstances where visitors to beaches across the entire east coast decreased compared to last year, Yangyang continued its upward trend.

Among the six cities and counties on the east coast, the growth rate was also the highest.

However, some voices note that it is still early to view Yangyang's tourism image as fully recovered.

Over the past few years, unverified stories spread online every vacation season, heightening concerns over the local image, and voices worrying about a decrease in tourists emerged among residents.

Most of the rumors contained sexual content that could directly have a negative impact on the local atmosphere.

In response, residents and merchants took direct action, particularly at Ingu Beach in Hyeonnam-myeon, which stood at the center of the controversy.

Last summer, banners bearing phrases such as "Yangyang is being criticized because of distorted stories" and "Fake news is hurting Yangyang" were hung all over Ingu Beach, and large wall posters with similar content were posted early this year as well.

The situation even led the local government to request a police investigation into related matters.

However, those banners and wall posters that were hung back then are no longer easily found at Ingu Beach this summer.

Residents are voluntarily stepping up to transform the atmosphere to recover the beach image and welcome tourists.

Jang Rae-hong, president of the county surfing association, said, "We are definitely feeling on the ground that visitors have increased compared to last year," adding, "Recently, not only the younger generation enjoying surfing but also family-unit tourists are gradually increasing."

He added, "Merchants and residents are preparing together so that visiting guests can stay without inconvenience," and "By making efforts together, we are preparing to become a tourist destination people want to visit again."

Yangyang, which was swept up in various controversies centered online over the past few years, is welcoming vacationers once again this summer centered around Naksan.

The county is focusing on spreading this tourism recovery trend to the entire region.

A county official said, "While in the past many tourists briefly stopped by the beach and left, recently, visitors who stay overnight and tour nearby tourist spots together are increasing," adding, "As stay times get longer, it is having a positive impact on the local commercial district."

The official added, "Residents are also continuing their efforts at Ingu Beach for environmental improvement and image recovery," and "Our future task is to ensure that the tourism momentum revived around Naksan spreads to the entire region."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.