SOKCHO, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – Embarking on the creation of a resort-style city where individuals can work and enjoy vacations simultaneously, the east coast city of Sokcho has declared itself the ‘Global Workation Capital.’
Workation, a portmanteau of work and vacation, signifies a new trend where work and relaxation coexist in typical vacation destinations like mountainous areas and beaches.
On November 27, the city of Sokcho held a declaration ceremony at Cheongchojeong Pavilion to respond to and lead the demand for workations.
At the event, agreements and declarations for next year’s workation initiatives were recited in collaboration with participating businesses and stakeholders.
Cheongchojeong, where the declaration ceremony took place, is well-known for providing citizens and tourists with the opportunity to enjoy reading or experience yachting while surrounded by a beautiful landscape.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, workations have emerged as a new travel trend, especially along South Korea’s east coast thanks to the boom in maritime tourism.
In the case of Sokcho, it was selected as the most popular destination in Gangwon this year based on workation awareness surveys and data from the Korea Tourism Organization.
The city was identified as an area with high growth potential and preference for workations, particularly excelling in the ‘resort-style’ category.
The results of this year’s Sokcho Workation initiative, conducted through collaboration between the Gangwon Tourism Foundation and the Seoul Economic Development Agency, showed that 117 companies and 26,220 participants took part in various programs.
Sokcho plans to further promote ‘Workation in Sokcho’ programs tailored to different participant types, including solo, colleague group, and family-oriented workations.
Leveraging its abundance of hotels and resorts, Sokcho intends to integrate programs utilizing these facilities with projects such as the creation of the Seorak-dong Arts Street at the entrance of Mt. Seorak.
Mayor Lee Byung-seon commented, “With the completion of a high-speed railway in three years, Sokcho will be within an hour’s reach of the capital area. Going forward, a paradigm shift is necessary, where people work in Sokcho and make business trips to Seoul.”
He added, “This declaration ceremony expresses a firm commitment to the project. We will concentrate all efforts to progress towards becoming a true global workation capital.”
Image credit: Chestertons Sokcho, Younglimwon Soft Lab, Sokcho City / photonews@koreabizwire.com
