Regional cities find recipe for tourism success with food festivals

People walk past the entrance of the Gumi Ramyun Festival held in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, for three days ending on Nov. 9. [NONGSHIM]

 
GUMI, North Gyeongsang — If you could try a ramyeon chili burrito, a hanwoo (Korean beef) intestine yaki ramyeon or even grilled samgyeopsal (pork belly) cream ramyeon, would you travel across the country for it? Droves of people did — with 350,000 flocking to this year's Gumi Ramyun Festival in North Gyeongsang to taste one-of-a-kind creations.
 
The number is nearly double last year's crowd of 170,000, and more than half a million bowls of noodles were sold during the three-day festival, which ended on Nov. 9, generating 1 billion won ($720,000) in sales.
 

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The event is the latest addition to a series of regional food-based attractions that drew unprecedented attention this year. The Gimcheon Gimbap Festival in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang, in October saw 150,000 visitors — 50,000 more than the previous year and 20,000 more than Gimcheon's population of 130,000. The Jeonju Bibimbap Festival in Jeongju, North Jeolla, also proved successful, attracting 100,000 visitors.
 

People line up at booths to have gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) at the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival held on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26 [GIMCHEON CITY]

These festivals appear to be helping drive steady growth in regional tourism. When the Gumi Ramyun Festival first launched in 2021, the city recorded 23.3 million visitors that year, according to Datalab run by Korea Tourism Organization. The figure rose by 14 percent to 26.6 million in 2024.
 
Korea's tourism industry has been seeing continued growth, but it has been overwhelmingly concentrated in the capital area.
 
Over 623 million nonlocals visited Seoul as of Nov. 11, while other provinces, including the Gyeongsang, Jeolla and Chungcheong regions, recorded figures only in the 100 million range, according to Datalab. A similar pattern appears among foreign tourists. Of the 10.56 million international visitors who came to Korea from January to July this year, more than 8.28 million, 78 percent, stayed in the capital, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
 
Still, the central government is making continuous efforts to spread regional tourism beyond the capital — and regional food festivals are serving as a key strategy.




How Gumi leveled up its ramyeon festival
 
Just outside Gumi Station on Nov. 7 stood a striking red archway adorned with giant noodle packet sculptures, under which a diverse range of visitors — couples, families and even dogs in strollers — passed through to enter the Gumi Ramyun Festival.
 

Booths sell unique, creative bowls of ramyeon at the Gumi Ramyun Festival in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, on Nov.7. [ [NONGSHIM]

A chef makes LA Galbi Jjajang Ramyun at the Gumi Ramyun Festival in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, on Nov.7. [WOO JI-WON]

Inside, a 475-meter-long (1,558-foot-long) booth — dubbed the world's longest ramyeon restaurant — stretched across the plaza. With each tent serving extraordinary bowls, all priced under 9,000 won ($6), a mouthwatering aroma permeated throughout the city, while chefs stirring and plating steaming noodles drew hungry visitors closer.
 
These inventive dishes were created by local restaurant chefs selected among 62 contestants through written and cooking tests. The chefs also received consultations to develop new recipes using freshly fried ramyeon noodles supplied on the day from the Gumi factory of Nongshim, the instant noodle powerhouse behind the popular Shin Ramyun line and the sponsor of the festival.
 
By 3 p.m., orders were pouring in at many booths, and some menu items had already sold out. The 9,000 won LA Galbi Jjajang Ramyun had a 45-order waitlist. "We've sold 370 so far since opening at 11 a.m.," said a staff member at the LA Galbi Jjajang's booth. "There are still 50 more to make." Another popular item, the Hanwoo Intestine Yaki Ramyun, sold 602 bowls by 3:20 p.m.
 

A kiosk at the Gumi Ramyun Festival in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, shows long wait lists for each dish. [WOO JI-WON]

LA Galbi Jjajang Ramyun at the Gumi Ramyun Festival in Gumi, North Gyeongsang [WOO JI-WON]

 
Perhaps key to this year's success was the organizers' efforts to improve on last year's festival. Those efforts appeared to pay off. For many visitors, the improvements were easy to notice.
 
"I came last year too, but this year's festival is much better," said Choi Jin-soo, who attended with three friends. "They even have water this time. I couldn't drink any last year because none was provided," praising the addition of a hydration station this year.
 
"The menu has become much more diverse, too," said the university student, who had an eel ramyeon.
 
Festivalgoer Lee Seung-hyeon, who came from Gimcheon with her sister, also said this year's event was "so much better," largely thanks to the deployment of self-order kiosks. "Last year, we had to wait in line."
 
Kiosks and QR codes were newly introduced this year, allowing customers to order in advance and receive KakaoTalk alerts when their food was ready.
 
To make the festival more family-friendly, organizers added the Bubble Playground at the rear plaza — a rest and play area where children could enjoy games and engage in activities while parents rested.
 

"KPop Demon Hunter"'s HUNTR/X photo zone is set up at the Gumi Ramyun Festiva lin Gumi, North Gyeongsang. [NONGSHIM]

People line up to try Nongshim's upcoming kimchi fried ramyeon at the K-style noodle bar Bunsik [NONGSHIM]

 
While the improvements certainly helped make the experience more pleasant for visitors, Kim Nan-jo, a professor in Hanyang University's Tourism Department, said the success of regional food festivals reflects a broader preference for "gourmet tourism."
 
"Among modern tourists, there's a strong preference for gastronomy-related experiences," said Kim. "Dining has become one of the most preferred and frequently sought-after elements of tourism. Also, as incomes rise, eating becomes one of the main forms of leisure." He also noted that social media amplifies the experience. "People post and share them, and it spreads even further."
 

Plates of various gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) are showcased at the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival in Gimcheon, in North Gyeongsang. [GIMCHEON CITY GOVERNMENT]

 
The Gimcheon Kimbap Festival, widely praised this year for being "simple and honest, without unnecessary overpricing" by netizens and even earning promotions for the city officials behind it, also focused on providing a wider and higher-quality range of gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) and other food options for visitors.
 
"Last year, some even called it a 'no-gimbap' gimbap festival," said a Gumi official. "So this year, we expanded the number of vendors so no one would go home without tasting gimbap. We also tried to address complaints from last year, paying close attention to every detail from the photo zones to the entrance design."
 
The number of vendors increased from eight to about 30 this year, offering more than 50 types of gimbap including regional specialties and celebrity-inspired recipes. Each booth sold roughly 500 rolls a day. Its "Kimbap Factory" setup — with chefs in white crisp uniforms rolling gimbap in a synchronized production line — also went viral online for its efficiency.
 

Officials mix bibimbap at the Jeonju Bibimbap Festival, held in Jeonju, North Jeolla, from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26. [JEONJU CITY GOVERNMENT]

 
The Jeonju Bibimbap Festival also expanded its offerings by partnering with 21 local organizations and Jeonju restaurants. Recruiting university students as volunteers helped attract younger visitors to the city. "They promoted the festival online themselves," a Jeonju city official said. "It gave the whole event a youthful, energetic vibe."




Festivals bring people and economic gains
 
Tmap Mobility's data showed that regional travel saw a significant surge in visitors, especially to areas hosting K-food festivals.
 
In the last week of October, Jikji Culture Park in Gimcheon, where the Gimbap Festival took place, ranked as the 287th most-visited destination among 1,000 popular weekend spots nationwide — not a bad performance for Korea's 62nd biggest city. Jeonju World Cup Stadium, home to the Bibimbap Festival, saw a 30.9 percent increase in visitors compared to the previous week, while Changpowon in Geochang, which hosted the Millennium Bugak Festival highlighting traditional crispy Korean snacks, recorded a 43.8 percent rise.
 
The economic ripple effects of these successful regional food festivals were also clear for participating businesses and nearby shopkeepers.
 

A participant going by "Chef Ahn" presents his creative ramyeon chili burrito at the Gumi Ramyun Festival in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, on Nov.7. [WOO JI-WON]

 
"Having names and restaurant brands displayed at the festival helps with promotion," said Ahn Young-joo, a chef participating in the festival, adding that many of the chefs now plan to include their festival dishes on their regular menus. He is already selling his ramyeon chili burrito at his restaurant, Food Trip.
 
Lee Ji-eun, who sold Spicy Seafood Pasta Ramyun at the event and also took part two years ago, agreed that the festival helped boost both the regional economy as well as her own restaurant.
 
"After participating in the festival, customers came to my restaurant asking for the ramyeon I served at the festival."
 

Chef Lee Ji-eun's spicy seafood pasta ramyeon [WOO JI-WON]

 
Nearby shop owners also reported record sales. "We sold 20 to 30 times more than usual," said convenience store worker Lee Gwang-jin. Street vendor Lee Seon-mi, who sells yogurt drinks, said her sales "were much better than usual."
 
"These events can serve to boost the local economy, particularly during the offseason," Prof. Kim said. "They offer a kind of knock-on benefit for regional areas — visitors have to come, eat and spend, not just on food but on other experiences as well."




Next challenge: Attracting global travelers
 
Despite their success, these regional food festivals still struggle to fulfill one of the main goals of such events — attracting more foreign visitors.
 
Standing in the midst of happy crowds enjoying steaming bowls of noodles, there appeared to be few foreigners at the Gumi Ramyun Festival.
 
Organizers, however, are working to attract and engage them through tailored programs, drawing them in to explore areas beyond major cities.
 
The Gumi Ramyun Festival hosted the Global Ramyun King contest, an event exclusively for foreign participants. Six selected teams competed on Nov. 7, making creative ramyeon with their own recipes.
 

Lune and Khine Rah, second and third from left, pose for a photo after winning the Global Ramyun King contest at the Gumi Ramyun Festival in Gumi, North Gyeongsang. [WOO JI-WON]

 
Lune and Khine Rah, Myanmar students from Keimyung University in Daegu who won second and third place with their hangover ramyeon — inspired by K-pop boy band Seventeen's Mingyu — and their Myanmar-style ramyeon, said this was their first visit to Gumi. "I came here today and went around different shops to buy ingredients for the ramyeon I used to make back home," Khine said.
 
"Everyone was so kind and helpful — they even guided me to local markets to find the ingredients I needed," Lune said.
 
Jeonju city officials also collaborated with hotels to offer packages that included accommodation, festival access and meals for international visitors during its bibimbap event — all of which sold out, according to a city official. They even ran shuttle buses to the festival from the Jeonju Hanok Village brimming with traditional Korean houses, "where many foreigners go".
 
Prof. Kim believes that interest from foreign tourists in regional festivals will grow over time. "Events like the Ramyun Festival and Kimbap Festival are still quite new. But as they continue, they'll become part of Korea's everyday culture, and that will naturally attract more foreign visitors. Many are eager to experience the same things Koreans love."

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]