Jeonju, a city that draws ten million visitors, is facing a disappointing 10% overnight-stay rate and is reworking its nighttime tourism strategy to change that. The goal is simple: make Fridays and Saturdays so appealing that visitors decide to stay the night.
On the 21st, data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab showed that over the past five years (2021–25) the share of visitors who stayed overnight in Jeonju's Deokjin and Wansan districts hovered around 10%—meaning only about one in ten visitors stayed overnight.
Deokjin district recorded 9.5% in 2021, 9.8% in 2022, 9.5% in 2023, 8.2% in 2024 and 8.1% in 2025. Wansan district recorded 10.8% in 2021, 11.6% in 2022, 11.2% in 2023, and 10.1% in both 2024 and 2025.
Notably, Jeonju was chosen in 2023 as a city specialized in nighttime tourism by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization. The city has secured a total project budget of ₩4.0 billion (approximately 3 million USD)—₩1.2 billion (approximately 900,000 USD) in national funds and ₩2.8 billion (approximately 2.1 million USD) from provincial and city funds.
In 2023 the program was criticized for clustering most key attractions in the fall (September–November), which blurred its identity. In 2024 and 2025, organizers spread some content into April–May and July–September to better define the city's nighttime tourism offering.
This year the city will scale up and run diverse nighttime attractions every Friday and Saturday night from next month through November. Officials say they want permanent offerings rather than one-off events, creating a sustainable model that keeps visitors in town longer.
Starting May 22, the city will host street pubs and flea markets along Jeonjucheon in the Hanok Village every Friday and Saturday. From June, an outdoor screening will run at the Tradi Lounge in Jeonju Hanok Village.
Jeonju plans to spread visitor flows beyond the Hanok Village core to nearby spots such as the Nambu Market night market, the Wansan bunker, and the Jeonju riverbank.
A city official said, "As we implemented the project, we heard repeatedly that tourists cluster only in the central areas of the Hanok Village. So we focused on creating content that would naturally draw visitors outward into the surrounding neighborhoods."
"This year we'll prioritize permanent attractions to encourage longer stays in Jeonju rather than staging large-scale events," the official added. "We'll analyze the results and decide which nighttime programs are worth continuing."
