The 'Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival' has grown beyond Hanwoo sales into a regional economic platform

The 22nd Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival, held in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Province, achieved its highest-ever performance, recording 4.4 billion won in sales over five days. The number of visitors to the festival exceeded 400,000, and all 300 prepared Hoengseong Hanwoo cattle were sold, highlighting the economic achievements of the festival that combines the local livestock industry and the tourism industry.

According to data released by Hoengseong County and the Hoengseong Culture and Tourism Foundation on the 12th, a total of 400,163 people visited the festival held at the Seomgang River embankment in Hoengseong from the 7th to the 11th, and sales within the festival grounds were tallied at 4.4 billion won. This translates to an average of approximately 80,000 visitors and 880 million won in revenue per day.

This represents an increase of more than 20% in both visitors and revenue compared to last year's figures of approximately 326,000 visitors and 3.6 billion won in revenue.

Sales expanded from the 3.6 billion won range to 4.4 billion won over three years.

Looking at the economic performance of the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival over the past three years, there is a trend of expanding sales volume along with an increase in visitors.

Festival venue revenue, which remained in the 3.6 billion won range in 2024 and 2025, increased to 4.4 billion won this year. Based on the detailed announced figure of 3.65 billion won for 2025, the growth rate is approximately 20.5%.

Above all, the key revenue driver of this festival was Hoengseong Hanwoo.

All 300 head of Hoengseong Hanwoo prepared for the festival by three local livestock organizations, including Hoengseong Livestock Cooperative, Hoengseong Hanwoo Agricultural Cooperative Distribution Business Group, and Hoengseong Hanwoo Cooperative, were sold out.

The 'Hoengseong Hanwoo Grill Site,' where visitors could purchase Hanwoo at prices comparable to those of livestock association-operated stores and grill it on-site, was highly popular throughout the festival.

This structure, in which producer groups directly participate in sales and consumers purchase and consume on-site, is a characteristic that enables the festival to function as a substantial Hanwoo sales market rather than a mere promotional event.

Regional economic ripple effect of 27.8 billion won last year… Attention on this year's scale

The economic value of the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival is not limited to sales within the festival grounds.

It was announced that for the 21st festival held last year, direct sales at the festival venue amounted to 3.65 billion won, along with direct and indirect economic effects within the Hoengseong-gun region reaching 27.8 billion won.

This figure reflects the impact on the overall local economy, including not only the sales of Hanwoo beef and local agricultural products within the festival grounds but also the movement of tourists and the use of food, accommodation, and tourism facilities.

Based on these achievements, the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival also won the Grand Prize in the Festival Economy category at the '2026 Korea Festival Contents Awards' held in February of this year.

However, last year's economic effect of 27.8 billion won was an estimated economic ripple effect and needs to be distinguished from actual sales at the festival venue. While direct sales of 4.4 billion won were confirmed this year, the final assessment of the economic ripple effect for the entire region has not yet been announced.

Korean Beef Consumption Drives Local Tourism… The Effect of Stay-Type Festivals

A notable change at this year's festival is the expansion of programs designed to extend the length of stay for tourists.

Hoengseong County combined night performances, lantern events, and fireworks shows with the theme 'Delicious, Stay, Shine' to the existing festival centered on Hanwoo sales and food.

During the festival period, the number of visitors to Hoengseong Lake Trail was recorded at approximately 7,000, and the number of users at the Hoengseong Luge Experience Center was also about 4,000, a 32% increase compared to the period immediately prior to the festival, rather than last year. The average daily number of visitors to the Hoengseong Hanwoo Experience Center, which is connected to the festival grounds by shuttle bus, increased to 2.3 times the usual level.

This is an indicator showing that the movement of tourists visiting to buy and eat Hoengseong Hanwoo is leading to the use of local tourism facilities.

In particular, the Hangeul Day holiday weekend influenced the success of the event this year. On the 9th alone, approximately 100,000 visitors flocked to the site, and traffic congestion persisted at the Hoengseong Interchange and on roads near the festival grounds.

Beyond Hanwoo Sales to a Local Economy Platform

The Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival is developing into a regional economic platform centered on the region's representative livestock products, with producers, distributors, the food service industry, and the tourism industry participating together.

It is a method that generates direct consumption through the sale of Hanwoo beef, attracts visitors through performances and experiences, and then links that consumption to local tourist facilities.

However, in order to assess how much the festival has actually contributed to the local economy, it is necessary to conduct a detailed analysis of the breakdown of this year's sales of 4.4 billion won by item, additional sales in local commercial districts, tourist spending, and festival operating costs.

The Hoengseong Culture and Tourism Foundation plans to formulate next year's festival operation plan based on visitor satisfaction surveys and festival evaluation results.

With the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival recording its highest-ever number of visitors and direct sales this year, attention is focused on the level of the ripple effect on the local economy that will be announced in the future.