Jeju Island and Tourism Organization to Open Jungmun Golf Club as a Bike Route for Two Days in 'Minivelo Festa'

[Financial News, Jeju = Jung Yong-bok] Jungmun Golf Club in Jeju, where bicycles are normally not allowed, will be turned into a riding course for two days. The event is an interactive sports tourism experiment designed to attract fall visitors by combining rides on the golf course and the Jungmun coastal road with children's activities and K-food experiences.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization on the 31st, the 'Jeju & Kyochon Minivelo Festa' will be held on Sept. 12-13 at Jungmun Golf Club in Seogwipo City and along the coastal road in the Jungmun area.
Jeju Island, the Jeju Tourism Organization, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Kyochon Chicken and Paramount will take part in the event, which will be hosted by the Jeju Tourism Organization and Paramount.
The main venue is Jungmun Golf Club. By using the normally golf-only space as a bike-riding course during the event, the organizers aim to turn scenery and mobility experiences that are usually hard to access into tourism content.
On the first day, Sept. 12, the program will combine competition and relaxed riding. The criterium will be a race against the clock on a 1.7-km loop inside Jungmun Golf Club. It is a bicycle race in which multiple riders speed around a short closed course, and minivelo participants will compete for time in this event.
Those who do not want the pressure of a timed race can join a roughly 4-km healing ride. The route is designed to focus on travel and experience rather than speed, while allowing participants to enjoy the Jungmun coast and the scenery around Jusangjeollidae.
A minivelo is a compact bicycle with smaller wheels than a standard bike. It is easy to carry and store, and because beginners can approach it relatively easily, it is widely used for urban commuting and leisure riding.
Participants do not need to own a minivelo. Riders with standard bicycles of 21 inches or larger can join the paid 'All Bike' package, which will allow up to 200 people on a first-come, first-served basis to take part in the Jungmun Golf Club ride and a Kyochon Chicken tasting program. Free rental services will also be offered for those without bicycles.
Programs for children and beginner cyclists will also be offered. A 'learn to ride a two-wheeler' session will teach basic riding skills and safety rules to children and adults who have difficulty riding without training wheels. Children aged 3 to 7 can take part in the 'Strider Cup,' which uses balance bikes that move by pushing with both feet instead of pedaling.
On the second day, Sept. 13, a roughly 10-km coastal ride will begin at Jeju Jungmun Resort and continue along the Seogwipo coastline. The route, open to pre-registered participants, is designed to let riders experience the southern coastal scenery of Jeju by bike from Jungmun toward Gangjeong Port.
Food and exhibitions will also be part of the ride. The venue will feature a program where visitors can sample Kyochon Chicken, along with exhibition and hands-on spaces for bicycle brands. Rather than a competition focused solely on exercise, the event is designed so that visitors can consume cycling, travel, food and family experiences in one place.
What Jeju Island is paying attention to is the timing of the event. September is a period when tourism demand is readjusted after the summer peak season ends. Jeju Island and the tourism organization plan to move beyond tourism centered on swimming or sightseeing and expand activity-based content that encourages visitors to move and experience things directly, in order to draw fall stay-over demand.
In particular, the temporary opening of an existing tourism facility such as a golf course to a different kind of sports content stands out. Rather than building new facilities, the approach creates content by repurposing existing tourism infrastructure.
Seungchul Ko, president of the Jeju Tourism Organization, said, "We designed the program so that children, beginners and cycling enthusiasts can all take part together," and added, "We will develop it into a sports tourism content where people can enjoy riding, travel and Jeju's autumn together at Jungmun Golf Club."


[email protected] Jung Yong-bok Reporter