▲ Dragon's Head Coast is among Jeju's Geopark sites. Photo courtesy Jeju Special Self-Governing Province

Jeju Tourism Organization along with Jeju City and Seogwipo City report that they are progressing with Global Geo-park Committees to economically acti-vate UNESCO-affiliated Geopark sites. The plan aims to enhance the value by promoting regional economic devel-opment through geo-tourism and UNESCO-branded regional products.

Among nine sites designated as Global Geoparks in 2010, six sites will begin developing representative Geopark products. Each site will have a designated theme according to its geological fea-tures, culture, and tourist attractions. Geo-tourism products like geo-trails, which combine hiking with storytelling, will be developed as will geo-experience programs.

Continuing until 2015, Seoul will support the plan with 3.572 billion won with 358 million won provided by the provin-cial government. Local officials believe that with such strong central government support, the plan will be of great benefit to Jeju, which has a budget shortfall.

Geo-tourism was developed in Europe and involves using tourism to preserve geological features, culture, civilization, and tourist attractions. Rather than just sightseeing, geo-tourism is inherently educational and conservation-driven.