Jindo County is stepping up efforts to connect its folk-art traditions with tourism, using the region’s intangible cultural heritage as the basis for new visitor products rather than treating culture and tourism as separate policy areas. The county and the Jindo Culture City Center held a two-day policy forum on August 21 and 22 focused on how local folk arts could be developed into tourism content and strengthen Jindo’s competitiveness as a destination.
The discussions brought together specialists from culture, universities, the travel industry and the media. A central theme was how Jindo’s UNESCO-linked intangible heritage and other local performing and folk traditions could be presented to visitors in ways that create economic value while retaining their cultural identity. Participants examined the potential for tourism products built around the region’s existing cultural resources and discussed broader policy options for linking arts activity with the local visitor economy.
This matters because cultural tourism can easily become superficial if heritage is reduced to a short performance or souvenir. Jindo’s advantage is that many of its traditions are living practices with strong local roots. The next step will be whether the policy discussion produces concrete programs and sustained cooperation with tourism operators. If it does, Jindo could use cultural heritage not only as something to preserve, but as a differentiated part of its regional economic strategy.