Final preparations underway to create welcoming mood at major entry points, hotels and tourist attractions

Daegu Metropolitan City (DMC) is busy making final preparations and inspections ahead of WMAC (World Masters Athletics Championships) Daegu 2026, which will begin with an opening ceremony on August 21 and end on September 3. Every effort is being expended to ensure that service and facilities are ready to receive participants and their families from Korea and overseas.

<Daegu Airport Information Center>

<Dongdaegu Station>

Around 11,000 athletes, accompanying family members and others from 106 countries are expected to participate in this year’s WMAC. DMC is implementing several measures (e.g. creating a welcoming atmosphere, responding to tourism-related inconveniences, and providing tourist information services) to ensure that they can stay in Daegu comfortably and pleasantly.

Welcome banners have been installed at major entry points (e.g. Daegu International Airport, Dongdaegu Station) and places frequented by tourists (e.g. accommodations, attractions). Welcome signs have also been affixed at Tourist Information Centers (TICs) and tour guide booths throughout the city. Welcoming messages in Korean and English will also be displayed using the city’s own promotional media, including electronic displays and digital signage, to create a welcoming atmosphere throughout the city.

Measures have been taken to make traveling more convenient for foreign WMAC participants. The TICs at Dongdaegu Station and Dongseong-ro, which are expected to be used by a particularly large number of tourists, are extending their business hours to 8 pm and have been stocked with tour maps and promotional materials in multiple languages.

Daegu City Tour’s Urban Circulation Course offers tourist information in four languages and on-board commentary by cultural tourism interpreters, and will display welcome messages via vehicle LED screens. During the WMAC, anyone can use the Urban Circulation Course at a 50% discount.

During the WMAC, tourist complaints and reports of inconveniences will be promptly received and handled through the Korea Tourism Organization (1330), Dudeuriso (120), or the Tourist Complaint Center (Daegu Trip Road website). DMC will also regularly check and address inconveniences at major tourist touchpoints (e.g. TICs) to minimize tourist inconvenience.

On August 18, DMC conducted on-site inspections of major entry points, TICs, accommodations and major tourist attractions used by participants, focusing on tourist information readiness, facility use, and visitor movement routes.

Issues identified during the on-site inspections are being addressed immediately or referred to relevant organizations and facilities for improvement. DMC plans to complete preparations to receive visitors before the opening of the WMAC and continue monitoring tourist inconveniences at major tourist touchpoints throughout the event.

Hwangbo Ran, Director-General of DMC’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said, “It is important that participants visiting Daegu from around the world for this year’s WMAC have good memories not only of the competition venues but of their entire stay in the city. We will do our utmost to ensure that they can enjoy Daegu without inconvenience during the event and remember it as a city they want to visit again.”