JEONNAM-GWANGJU — Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City has launched a full-scale campaign to draw autumn travelers, linking the 16th Gwangju Biennale and the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo in a bid to attract 3 million tourists.
The 16th Gwangju Biennale runs from the 5th through November 15. The 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo opens the same day and continues through November 4.
With the two large international events opening on the same day, expectations are rising among local tourism businesses. The city does not intend for the events to end as simple sightseeing festivals. Its strategy is to encourage visitors to stay across Gwangju and Jeonnam and experience the region's history, art, food and island culture in depth.
To that end, the city has prepared lodging discounts, shuttle bus services, extended-stay travel packages and culinary programs on a large scale.
Online participation events are also planned. Through Visit Jeonnam-Gwangju, the official social media account for Jeonnam-Gwangju culture and tourism, a photo-verification event will run from September through October. Participants can take part by posting proof of visits to the Gwangju Biennale, the Yeosu World Island Expo and major tourist sites.
The city is also improving transportation for visitors on site. Through November 14, a Pavilion Shuttle Bus will connect the Gwangju Biennale, the Asia Culture Center and the Yangnim-dong area. Service will run between two and 11 times a day. Gwangju Biennale ticket holders can ride without limit on the day of their visit.
A special course will also be added to Namdo Hanbaqui, a budget regional bus tour program. It will operate 12 times over the two months of September and October, broadening the routes available to travelers.
Yangnim-dong sits at the center of downtown Gwangju tourism.
The city is grouping the Gwangju Biennale and the Yeosu World Island Expo into a single tourism zone. The plan is to connect visitors who come to Gwangju for the Biennale onward to the island expo in Yeosu, and to channel island expo visitors into downtown Gwangju tourism.
Extended-stay travel packages linking the island expo and the Biennale have also been released. In tandem with Honam Tourism and Culture Week, held throughout October, nine regional travel packages representing the Honam area will be offered. The project is being pursued jointly by Jeonnam-Gwangju and Jeonbuk.
Products aimed at art enthusiasts have also been prepared, including customized art tours that combine commentary from art humanities lecturers with visits to art fairs. A range of themed packages, including wellness tourism, will also be offered.
Culinary events await autumn travelers as well. Gwangju Gourmet Week will run for 10 days from October 2 through October 11. During the event, Namdo cuisine menus using seasonal ingredients will be featured, along with food tour packages that trace ingredients from farm to table.
"The Gwangju Biennale and the Yeosu World Island Expo are an opportunity to introduce the appeal of Jeonnam-Gwangju to the world," said Kim Sun-ja, head of the New Vitality Promotion Headquarters at Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. "We hope many tourists will stay a long while and take away special memories."
The city plans to use the two international events to spread autumn travel demand across the region as a whole. Attention now turns to whether the extended-stay strategy, weaving together lodging, transportation, art, food and island tourism, will translate into an actual increase in visitors.
