Healing horseback riding trails that are a total of 100 kilometers long will be built on Jeju Island, and are expected to draw many tourists. (Image : Yonhap)
JEJU, April 11 (Korea Bizwire) – Healing horseback riding trails that are a total of 100 kilometers long will be built on Jeju Island, and are expected to draw many tourists.
Last year, Jeju established eco-healing horseback riding trails in three locations – Songdang ranch, the Jeju Horse Park and Namyoung Industries ranch.
This year, officials selected three locations from six candidates. Wahul Hanwoo complex, Sangmyeong ranch and another area in the Namyoung Industries ranch were selected.
Another four locations will be selected next year through a public offering.
If the three-year project is finalized, 10 horseback riding routes adding up to a total of 100 kilometers in length will be completed. The total budget for the project is expected to reach 2.7 billion won.
Jeju is using existing paths to create the horseback riding routes in order to minimize damage to the environment. Each 10km route (an hour long ride) will have a theme to increase visitor satisfaction.
Last year, a total of 395,880 individuals visited the horseback riding routes. Most of those who visit the facilities on a regular basis are local residents. Approximately 42,900 people ride horses on a regular basis.
There are 44 horseback riding facilities on the island. Among them, 24 specialize in providing horseback riding experiences to visitors. A total of 12 facilities are operated through membership, and provide education and training. Six locations manage programs for children and adolescents.
There are currently 15,081 horses living on Jeju Island, which is 57 percent of the total number of horses being bred nationwide. As the leading location of the ‘horse industry’, Jeju is planning to combine horse breeding and tourism to create a new type of service.
Industry officials expect that the horseback riding population nationwide will visit Jeju to enjoy the sport and experience healing in Jeju’s natural environment. They anticipate that the influx of tourists will boost the livestock industry as well as tourism.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
