GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Because the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation (APEC) conferences closed Saturday after hundreds of delegates visited Gyeongju, the main target is now turning as to if the town can set up itself as a recurring hub for international conferences.
To host APEC occasions, Gyeongju invested closely in infrastructure. The Hwabaek Worldwide Conference Heart, the primary summit venue, obtained inside upgrades comparable to new carpets and elevators. Subsequent to it, the town constructed a brand new two-story Worldwide Media Heart spanning 6,000 sq. meters to accommodate the worldwide press.
Some resorts within the metropolis added new presidential suites to host nationwide leaders, with renovation prices of as much as 100 billion gained ($69.8 million).
The Hwabaek Worldwide Conference Heart, the primary venue for this yr’s Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation Leaders Assembly, is seen in August. Yonhap
“The town appeared well-prepared for a big worldwide occasion,” mentioned a Chinese language reporter who requested anonymity attributable to office coverage. “We obtained textual content alerts about street blocks, which helped us transfer shortly between websites. Although the messages had been in Korean, I might learn them with translation apps.”
He added that he was capable of keep downtown by reserving early, however others weren’t as lucky.
“Gyeongju will not be a really massive metropolis, so resort choices had been restricted,” he mentioned. “APEC is a really massive occasion, bringing folks from 21 economies — not solely official delegations however many others. A few of my colleagues needed to keep outdoors the town.”
A Japanese reporter, who additionally requested anonymity, echoed that evaluation.
She mentioned the town felt typically well-prepared, with tight safety and a welcoming ambiance for overseas media, however famous that lodging and transportation had been lower than handy.
“We’re staying in Pohang now (about 30 kilometers from Gyeongju),” she mentioned. “Once we tried to e-book rooms about two weeks in the past, there have been no vacancies left downtown.”
She additionally famous that some occasion venues had been unfold out, requiring lengthy walks between areas, comparable to to select up press passes or entry the media heart. “It was a bit troublesome to maneuver round,” she mentioned. “However the employees had been very variety and useful.”
Specialists mentioned that whereas some challenges stay, internet hosting APEC occasions has strengthened Gyeongju’s competitiveness as a future convention metropolis.
The APEC Worldwide Media Heart in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is seen, Tuesday. Korea Instances picture by Shim Hyun-chul
Kim Nam-jo, a tourism professor at Hanyang College, advised The Korea Instances that the summit boosted Gyeongju’s international visibility and upgraded its amenities, including to the town’s current strengths as a historic cultural vacation spot.
“A world convention isn’t simply in regards to the classes,” Kim mentioned. “Individuals additionally search for cultural and leisure experiences after the conferences, past the venue. In that sense, Gyeongju stands out amongst Korean cities with its wealth of historic and cultural heritage.”
Yoon Younger-hye, a professor of world MICE convergence at Dongduk Girls’s College, agreed, saying that internet hosting a summit of nationwide leaders is an unmatched and cost-efficient strategy to model a metropolis.
Yoon pointed to current precedents, noting that Busan noticed a big increase in worldwide convention internet hosting after the 2005 APEC summit, whereas Seoul recorded a pointy rise following the 2010 G20 summit.
Beneath standards from the Union of Worldwide Associations, Seoul rose from ninth in international convention internet hosting in 2009 to fifth in 2010. Busan additionally elevated its variety of worldwide conferences from six in 2004 to 93 in 2010, rating fourth in Asia and seventeenth worldwide that yr.
“This yr’s APEC occasions noticed vital upgrades to the Bomun Vacationer Complicated, modernizing Gyeongju’s MICE infrastructure,” Yoon mentioned. “The town is thought for its historic attraction, but it surely additionally has clear potential to host conferences tied to the native power sector, together with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Energy.”
Yoon famous that whereas the lodging scarcity was seemingly distinctive through the APEC occasions, when massive crowds arrived, Gyeongju nonetheless wants higher transport hyperlinks between the prepare station — positioned a few 30-minute drive from downtown — and the conference space.
“The town additionally must construct a long-term, devoted MICE workforce to maintain future worldwide conferences,” she mentioned. “Internet hosting main worldwide occasions outdoors Seoul may help revitalize regional economies, particularly as many native cities face inhabitants decline.”
