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Changnyeong County sees revival with 3 million hot spring visitors in 2025

Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 13:58

Bugok Hawaii is seen in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang. [JOONGANG ILBO]

CHANGNYEONG, South Gyeongsang — Changnyeong County in South Gyeongsang welcomed more than 3 million annual visitors to its Bugok hot spring district in 2025 for the first time in eight years, as family-oriented renovations and aggressive sports marketing revive the once-declining resort complex.

The county recorded 3,006,959 cumulative visitors to the Bugok hot spring district last year, surpassing 3 million for the first time since 2017, when Bugok Hawaii — once the area’s flagship spa and leisure complex — shut down, according to Changnyeong County on Tuesday.

The Bugok hot spring district spans a 1-kilometer (0.6 miles) radius, from the Bugok-myeon office to the Bugok Bus Terminal.

Discovered in 1973, the spring produces water at 78 degrees Celsius (172 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest temperature among hot springs in Korea. Local officials say the hot spring water helps reduce harmful oxygen in the body, may slow signs of skin aging compared to regular tap water and could help ease certain skin conditions and nerve pain because of its mineral content.

The Bugok hot spring district began thriving after Bugok Hawaii opened in 1979, with visitor numbers peaking in the 1990s. More than 30,000 people visited on weekends and holidays during that period, drawing several million visitors each year.

Changnyeong County began compiling official statistics in 2012, when 3.82 million people visited. The figure rose to 3.88 million in 2013 and stayed between 3.1 million and 3.44 million from 2014 to 2017.

Children play in a private family bath at a hotel in Bugok-myeon, Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 25, 2020. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Visitor numbers fell below 3 million for the first time in 2018, the year after Bugok Hawaii shut down, dropping to 2.8 million people. Bugok Hawaii closed after years of declining visitors and mounting operating losses, as its aging facilities struggled to compete with newer leisure destinations and changing travel trends.

The figure declined further to between 2.4 million and 2.6 million people through 2022, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The district recovered to 2.91 million visitors in 2023 and 2.73 million in 2024 before surpassing 3 million again last year.

County officials attribute the rebound to a strategic shift by local hot spring and lodging operators, who moved away from the large bathhouses popular with older visitors to a model better suited to modern-day family travelers. Many remodeled their properties to include family-oriented accommodations similar to so-called kids' hotels.

Bugok now has 24 hot spring and lodging businesses operating about 1,500 rooms.

Most operators voluntarily upgraded their facilities and added children-themed rooms. Positive reviews and posts on social media among couples in their 30s and 40s with young children helped draw new visitors. Reservation rates reportedly exceed 95 percent at most properties on weekends and public holidays.

The county also linked the Bugok Hot Springs Tourist Special Zone with Changnyeong Sports Park and expanded its sports marketing efforts.

Changnyeong County hosted events such as the Women's Soccer Championship — in which all levels of Korean women's football teams compete — and attracted winter training teams. A total of 474 sports teams with about 84,000 athletes visited over the past year, generating about 7.5 billion won ($5.2 million) in local economic effects, according to the county.

“We will further promote Bugok in Changnyeong as a tourism county where visitors stay longer and enjoy culture, sports and hot springs together, so that the area can regain popularity and continue to grow,” Changnyeong County Governor Seong Nak-in said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY WE SUNG-WOOK [[email protected]]