The all purple Banwol Island in South Korea

by

(CNN) – A South Korean farming community has reinvented itself by transforming into an Instagram-era attraction.

Banwol Island, off the west coast of central South Korea, became known as “the purple island” after painting the roofs of some 400 buildings a beautiful lilac hue. In addition, there are lavender fields, amethyst-colored telephone booths and a large purple bridge.

And with the country’s borders essentially closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, people hungry from the area are flocking to the area. Between June and August 2020, more than 100,000 visitors came to Banwol Island, an increase of 20% from the previous year.

Since 2018, more than 490,000 guests have visited the islands.

The project was planned in 2015 as part of South Jeolla Province’s branding initiative to “create attractive island destinations” and was inspired by the purple bell flowers (also called campanula) indigenous to the area.

The small Banwol and Bakji Islands have a total population of less than 150. Since the start of the purple project, farmers have started growing kohlrabi and beets, both of which are by brand. The local government planted 30,000 New England asters and 21,500 square feet of lavender fields.

Visitors can walk between the two islands via – you may have seen this coming – another purple bridge.

07 Banwol Island South Korea RESTRICTED

The purple bridge was refurbished and repainted in early 2020.

Courtesy of the Shinan County Office

To cater to the new waves of tourists, there are a few more amenities on the island, including a cafe, two full-service restaurants (one at Bakji and Banwol), bike rental and a small hotel. It takes about six hours to get there from Seoul by bus or private car.

Banwol’s risky but beautiful move seems to be paying off. South Koreans who leave and return the country are quarantined for two weeks upon return, so most locals opt for domestic tourism.

Colorful cities have long been popular with travelers, even before they were designed specifically for social media. The bright yellow “pueblo magico” of Izamal, in the state of Yucatan, Mexico, was painted an all-golden hue in honor of a visit by Pope John Paul II or to ward off a plague, depending on who you ask.
Chefchaouen, Morocco, was painted all blue by a Jewish community who settled there and considered the color lucky. Although the community has long since moved away, the bright hues remain a source of joy.

.Source