Cafe 'hotspot' Yeongdo, now a tourist hotspot in Busan
Yeongdo, the 'old future' of Busan, is on the rise. Tourists flock to the cafes and Huinnyeoul Culture Village, which have been renovated from shipyards and factories. Attention is focused on whether Busan's tourism landscape, which is concentrated in eastern Busan such as Haeundae and Gwangalli, will expand to the original city center and western Busan, including Yeongdo.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization's Korea Tourism Data Lab on July 24, the number of visitors to Yeongdo grew 4.2 percent from January to July compared to last year, a higher rate than Haeundae-gu, Busan's flagship tourist destination, which grew 3.3 percent. Overnight stays during the same period fell 1.4 percent in Haeundae-gu but rose 7.2 percent in Yeongdo.
In July, 1,629,736 people visited Yeongdo-gu, more than 15 times the population of Yeongdo-gu (107,103). This is 24.2% more than the 1.351 million visitors in July 2018 before the coronavirus.
One of the main reasons why tourists flock to Yeongdo-gu is the "hot cafes". In fact, the number of cafes and restaurants in Yeongdo-gu steadily increased to 244 in 2019, 254 in 2020, 281 in 2021, 303 last year, and 317 this year. The number of cafes and restaurants exploded during the pandemic, when many were closed. Starting with 'Shingi Industry', which opened in 2016, large coffee shops such as 'Karin' near Bongnae Mountain, 'Pike' in Dongsam-dong, 'Momo's Coffee' in Mulyangjang, and '385' in Dongsam-dong have been established, forming the current state of 'Cafe Kingdom Yeongdo'.
As tourists flocked to the area, hotels sprang up one after another. The 4-star Laval's Hotel, with 380 rooms, the most in Yeongdo-gu, opened in 2019, followed by five more in 2021 and one last year. In particular, Laval's Hotel is famous as a hotspot for MZers to take photos in rooms with simultaneous views of the original city center and the sea.
In 1980, the population of Yeongdo-gu was 213,000, twice as many as today. Once a symbol of Busan's vitality, it is now considered one of the most depopulated areas due to population outflow and aging. According to the 'K Regional Depopulation Index' released by the Korea Institute of Industrial Economics last year, there are only three ward-level basic local governments under the metropolitan city out of 50 depopulated areas in the country: Yeongdo-gu, Seo-gu, and Dong-gu, Ulsan.
As such, Yeongdo-gu is a place where opportunity and crisis coexist. It is at the crossroads of whether it will remain a flashy tourist destination or emerge as a representative tourist destination in the original city center comparable to Haeundae and Gwangalli. Experts point to the need for a variety of content that targets visitors who have visited Busan more than once and encourages them to stay in Yeongdo-gu for more than one or two nights. "Yeongdo, which has a 'neutro' sensibility that blends old and new, is the place where you can best feel the spirit of Busan," said Oh Chang-ho, a professor of tourism and convention at Yeongsan University. "It's time to think about how to show the real Busan, such as making good use of the current aquaculture stalls or opening a bed-and-breakfast business in an old residential area to increase the amount of time spent there."
According to the Korea Tourism Organization's Korea Tourism Data Lab on July 24, the number of visitors to Yeongdo grew 4.2 percent from January to July compared to last year, a higher rate than Haeundae-gu, Busan's flagship tourist destination, which grew 3.3 percent. Overnight stays during the same period fell 1.4 percent in Haeundae-gu but rose 7.2 percent in Yeongdo.
In July, 1,629,736 people visited Yeongdo-gu, more than 15 times the population of Yeongdo-gu (107,103). This is 24.2% more than the 1.351 million visitors in July 2018 before the coronavirus.
One of the main reasons why tourists flock to Yeongdo-gu is the "hot cafes". In fact, the number of cafes and restaurants in Yeongdo-gu steadily increased to 244 in 2019, 254 in 2020, 281 in 2021, 303 last year, and 317 this year. The number of cafes and restaurants exploded during the pandemic, when many were closed. Starting with 'Shingi Industry', which opened in 2016, large coffee shops such as 'Karin' near Bongnae Mountain, 'Pike' in Dongsam-dong, 'Momo's Coffee' in Mulyangjang, and '385' in Dongsam-dong have been established, forming the current state of 'Cafe Kingdom Yeongdo'.
As tourists flocked to the area, hotels sprang up one after another. The 4-star Laval's Hotel, with 380 rooms, the most in Yeongdo-gu, opened in 2019, followed by five more in 2021 and one last year. In particular, Laval's Hotel is famous as a hotspot for MZers to take photos in rooms with simultaneous views of the original city center and the sea.
In 1980, the population of Yeongdo-gu was 213,000, twice as many as today. Once a symbol of Busan's vitality, it is now considered one of the most depopulated areas due to population outflow and aging. According to the 'K Regional Depopulation Index' released by the Korea Institute of Industrial Economics last year, there are only three ward-level basic local governments under the metropolitan city out of 50 depopulated areas in the country: Yeongdo-gu, Seo-gu, and Dong-gu, Ulsan.
As such, Yeongdo-gu is a place where opportunity and crisis coexist. It is at the crossroads of whether it will remain a flashy tourist destination or emerge as a representative tourist destination in the original city center comparable to Haeundae and Gwangalli. Experts point to the need for a variety of content that targets visitors who have visited Busan more than once and encourages them to stay in Yeongdo-gu for more than one or two nights. "Yeongdo, which has a 'neutro' sensibility that blends old and new, is the place where you can best feel the spirit of Busan," said Oh Chang-ho, a professor of tourism and convention at Yeongsan University. "It's time to think about how to show the real Busan, such as making good use of the current aquaculture stalls or opening a bed-and-breakfast business in an old residential area to increase the amount of time spent there."
BUSANNAVI
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2023-09-30 07:24
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