CHANGWON — Travelers in South Korea's Gyeongsangnam-do province can now find pet-friendly attractions and facilities on a single map. The provincial government has launched a pet travel map service called "Gangsaeng-irang Gaeng-irang."
The map includes information on attractions, walking trails, cafes, restaurants and accommodations that allow pets. The province said on the 1st that it designed the service not as a one-way channel for the government to hand down information, but as a space where pet owners themselves add details and share experiences.
Users can leave "like" ratings for each location and write about their visits, points to watch for and recommendations. If they find a pet-friendly place missing from the map, they can request that it be added. A "build my own travel route" function lets users select registered locations and map out an itinerary. Travel time for each route is displayed, and completed maps can be posted to social media or saved as images to share.
The service was created to address information that has been scattered across sources. Demand for travel with pets has grown, but users have found it difficult to check related information in one place. According to the Korea Tourism Organization's 2024 report on the status of and attitudes toward pet travel, 74.1% of respondents had traveled domestically with a dog in the past year, and 74.6% intended to do so within the next year. At the same time, 46.4% cited a shortage of pet-friendly accommodations as an obstacle, 44.8% pointed to a lack of restaurants and cafes, and 35.7% to a lack of attractions. A total of 76.0% said they would use a service providing information on traveling with pets.
To mark the launch, the province is also holding a photo exhibition titled "Off-Season for Looks, A Fleeting Moment," featuring photos of homely pets. Entries will be accepted from 9 a.m. on the 2nd of this month until 6 p.m. on the 11th. Judging will run for 30 days, from 9 a.m. on the 21st of the same month to 6 p.m. on the 20th of the following month, and anyone can take part in the judging after a simple identity verification. One gold, one silver and one bronze prize will be awarded. The gold prize is a pet drying room worth 300,000 won, the silver prize a pet stroller worth 150,000 won, and the bronze prize a pet water fountain worth 50,000 won. A total of 150 users who take part in the judging will be selected by lottery to receive 10,000-won mobile gift certificates.
"As demand for travel with pets grows, we prepared this service so that people can check information on pet-friendly facilities in one place and share their own experiences directly," said Jang Jae-hyeok, director general of the Urban Housing Bureau at the Gyeongsangnam-do provincial government. "We will continue to expand practical, everyday services that make use of spatial information."
