Suwon World Heritage City Forum Selected for Gyeonggi Province Regional Specialized Convention Project

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] As a result of the application process for the '2023 Gyeonggi Province Regional Specialized Convention Discovery and Development Project' initiated by Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization to develop conventions (international conferences) held on regional industry themes into international events, three events including the 'Suwon World Heritage City Forum' were selected as final winners.

According to the province on the 17th, the selection process considered the relevance between event themes and regional specialized industries, international growth potential, and international standards compliance of venues. The final three selected events are ▲Suwon World Heritage City Forum ▲Goyang International Destination Competitiveness Forum ▲Siheung Korea Materials Surface Technology Conference.

Each selected event will receive hosting support grants of up to 65 million won, which can be utilized across various categories including venue rental fees and domestic and international promotional expenses.

The design ensures that 50% or more of the support budget is utilized by businesses located in Gyeonggi Province, thereby promoting regional economic revitalization.

Additionally, an advisory panel composed of academics and professional international conference planners will provide consultation for overall event diagnosis and advancement toward international convention events, including event internationalization and tourism and economic revitalization based on regional industry linkages.

The Suwon World Heritage City Forum will be held at the Suwon Convention Center from September 11 to 12.

Under the theme of 'Sustainable Utilization of World Heritage,' forums and panel discussions will be conducted with personnel and experts from international organizations including UNESCO and the Organization of World Heritage Cities. Public and expert forums will be held separately on diverse themes including 'World Heritage and Art, Film, People, Climate Change, and Peace.'

Concurrently with the event, various programs including Haengridangil pop-up stores and world heritage appreciation tours are planned, with participation expected to exceed 600 people from 21 countries this year.

Choi Yong-hoon, Director of Gyeonggi Province's Tourism Industry Division, stated, "It has great significance that the regional specialized conventions in Suwon and Goyang discovered through this application project have grown into international events capable of advancing as K-conventions."