"From Baekje Heritage to the Nonsan Strawberry Expo"... South Chungcheong Province (Chungnam) Makes All-Out Effort to Attract Tourists at Japan's Largest Tourism Fair

[Financial News, Hongseong = Kim Won-jun, reporter] Chungnam participated in Japan's largest tourism fair and promoted the region's major tourism resources and upcoming large-scale international events.
 Chungnam said on the 28th that it participated in Tourism EXPO Japan 2026, held in Tokyo, Japan, from the 24th to the 27th, jointly with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and about 10 local governments from across South Korea. Tourism EXPO Japan is a major event that drew approximately 130,000 visitors and 1,350 companies and organizations when it was held in Nagoya last year. More than 200,000 visitors are expected at this year's event in Tokyo, making it an ideal venue for local marketing.
 At the fair, Chungnam focused on promoting the region's tourism appeal, particularly the Baekje Cultural Festival and World Heritage sites in Gongju and Buyeo County, which attract strong interest from Japanese visitors. Gongju and Buyeo County, the royal capitals of Baekje, have deep historical and cultural ties with Japan and have traditionally been popular destinations among Japanese tourists.
 Chungnam also actively promoted four major upcoming events—the Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo, the Island Biennale, World Youth Day (WYD), and the Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games—and explored the possibility of developing Japan-focused tourism packages linked to them.
 Starting with the Tokyo fair, Chungnam plans to continue participating in major overseas tourism fairs in key markets, including the Taiwan International Travel Fair in November, to maximize the results of its global inbound marketing efforts.
 A Chungnam official said, "We highlighted Chungnam's appeal by linking historical and cultural resources with major events that attract the interest of Japanese tourists," adding, "We will strengthen overseas marketing going forward and turn it into tangible tourist arrivals and tourism products."
 Meanwhile, Chungnam is stepping up efforts to improve the environment for accommodating tourists, including expanding infrastructure for longer-stay tourism and deploying local interpreter-guides, so that visitors go beyond simply touring the region and contribute to the revitalization of local businesses.
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter