By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Chuncheon, a lakeside city in Gangwon Province, will host the 2010 World Leisure Congress and Leisure Games from August to September.
During the 11th World Leisure Congress, scheduled to be held at Kangwon National University from Aug. 28 to Sep. 2, government officials, researchers, scholars and other delegates will discuss the theme of "Leisure and Identities."
Co-hosted by the Korean Society of Leisure and Culture Studies, the congress will help participants exchange knowledge and information and gain new insights for future research and academic collaboration.
The first-ever World Leisure Games will take place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5.
Under the theme "Improving the Quality of Life through Leisure Experiences," the event is to be held at Songam Sports Town, bringing together more than 13,000 athletes for six domestic and nine international games including the International B3 Action Sports Championships, World Inline Slalom Competition and Water Skiing World Cup.
"Chuncheon is expecting to be an advanced leisure city and this will also contribute to world peace and improved relationships between countries by expanding their interactions," an official of the organizing committee said.
Meanwhile, the World Leisure Trade Show will also be held in Chuncheon during the period at Uiam Leisure Sports Town. The exhibition will display a wide range of products such as fitness products and water sports equipment.
In addition, the organizing committee said they will provide incentives for tour agencies bringing overseas visitors to the leisure games.
Any travel agency, domestic or international, can apply for the subsidy ― 5,000 won off for up to 19 guests and 10,000 won for groups of more than 20 members. The tourists have to stay a night, have a meal in Chuncheon and visit Songam Sports Town for more than two hours.
"We decided to try and attract more foreign visitors for a successful event," the official said.