North Chungcheong Province said on the 10th that it held an official opening ceremony for the super-regional tourism transport circulator line at Cheongju International Airport.
About 50 key figures attended the opening ceremony, including Lee Dong-ok, vice governor for administrative affairs of North Chungcheong Province; Choi Jeong-hun, Chairperson of the Administrative and Cultural Committee of the North Chungcheong Provincial Council; Jo Young-mi, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Tourism Infrastructure Division; Jo Il-gyo, director general of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of South Chungcheong Province; and representatives of the transportation industry in the Chungcheong region.
The circulator runs between Cheongju International Airport, Osong KTX Station, Gongju Terminal and Buyeo Terminal. With this route, travelers can go from Cheongju Airport to Buyeo in two hours without transfers. Until now, they had to switch to other modes of transport an average of three times, taking more than four hours.
The newly established intercity bus route is the first-stage result of the super-regional tourism transport innovation pilot district project jointly pursued by North Chungcheong Province and South Chungcheong Province. It is being assessed as having laid the foundation to revitalize stay-type tourism in North and South Chungcheong.
North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong plan to expand projects that group the region into a single living and tourism zone going forward. ◇ They plan to promote: the introduction of demand-responsive transport (DRT) that connects the circulator and major tourist attractions; the establishment of an integrated platform for super-regional tourism transport; operation of a promotional hall; development of tourism content reflecting local characteristics; and on- and offline marketing at home and abroad.
Lee Dong-ok, vice governor for administrative affairs of North Chungcheong Province, said, "The opening of this circulator line is the first step in consolidating North and South Chungcheong into a single tourism axis," adding, "With significantly improved accessibility among transport hubs such as airports, stations and terminals, it will be an important inflection point for expanding stay-type tourism and revitalizing the local economy."