By Kim Ji-soo
Culture Editor

Recently, I had the chance to travel through the suburbs of Rome. Now, the Italian capital may well need no further introduction, but its surround areas are definitely lesser known to ordinary travelers, being parts of the wider Lazio region. Stigliano, the port of Civitavechia and the winemaking area of Frascati are but a few of these. But those serving in the tourism and service industry in these areas enthusiastically promoted the merits of their region and products. As visitors, we were shown the typical food of the region as well as the wine.

Their promotional activities got me to thinking about the regional communities in Korea that are working just as hard to promote their regions these days. There are more than 1,000 regional festivals held in the country at various times of the year. A large majority of them came into being in the late 1990s after local governments became autonomous entities. The regional administrations have slogans such as ``Running Mungyeong'' (North Gyeongsang Province), ``A Plus Anyang'' (Gyeonggi Province), ``Hot Youngyang'' (Youngyang, North Gyeongsang Province), ``Sing Green Cheongdo'' (Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province) and ``It's Daejeon.'' Some work and some don't, yet it's obvious that behind these slogans is the local governments' fervent desire to distinguish themselves in their quest to remain financially viable while at the same time maintaining their inherent characteristics. One place for example, Mungyeong, is actively courting tourists by tapping into its tradition of being a bastion for pottery and tea bowls as well as its natural scenery. Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province successfully holds an annual music festival. There is also the now renowned Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival staged by the southern port city.

Above all, they're interesting concepts. However, it occurred to me that our local governments should keep in mind the taste of their target audiences, whether they are Korean or foreign. The task for them is to come up with a way to deliver the essence of their regions ― the products, the food and the ambience ― to audiences that are unfamiliar with them. The task is going to require a lot of imagination and effort.

But the job is not simply that of the local governments alone, as the national administration is going full out to promote ``hansik,'' or Korean food, and to bring in more tourists through Visit Korea Year 2010-2012. The first lady is at the forefront of promoting the national cuisine, appearing on CNN and working with none other than actor Yon-sama to let the world know about the culinary benefits of Korean food. But, if I recall it correctly, it took some time for me to grow accustomed to the core Korean food when I was younger, so we really have to work hard to determine how best to present it in a way that compresses all those years of acclimatization.

janee@koreatimes.co.kr