The Korea Tourism Organization launched a website for tourists with disabilities on Jan. 3. The website (access.visitkorea.or.kr) offers information on famous tourist destinations, accommodation, restaurants, transportation and useful tips to meet the specific needs of tourists with disabilities. The information is also available on the mobile application on iPhone and Android phones. The KTO has been expanding services to help underpriviledged people travel, including launching the Travel Vouch

The hotel is presenting amenities engraved with the names of their VIP customers as it launches the Personal Touch of Chosun service from Jan. 1. The service, introduced for the first time in Korea, will be offered to hotel guests with frequent and long stays. According to the hotel, about 50 percent of the foreign guests are frequent guests, staying more than 25 nights a year at the hotel. The service includes personalized slippers, mugs, towels, bathrobes, bed sheets and more, which are worth

The Korea Tourism Organization is holding a ski festival for Russian tourists at Yong Pyong Resort and High 1 Resort in Gangwon Province in January. The “Ru-Ski Festival” will feature ski and snowboard lessons and competitions, traditional dance and music performances and entertainment activities to show diverse aspects of Korean culture to tourists. The festival will be held from Jan. 1-4 at High 1 Resort and from Jan. 4-7 at Yong Pyong Resort. According to the KTO, more than 2,000 tourists hav

The Shilla Seoul has been named the best hotel in Seoul by Travel and Leisure magazine. The hotel received the highest mark of 91.16 ever given to a local hotel in Korea. The magazine selects the 500 top-rated hotels around the world based on surveys by its readers. “The score proves our competitiveness in the global hotel industry and promotes the image of Korea, having our brand known to the world,” said a hotel official. The Shilla Seoul is scheduled to undergo renovation from Jan. 10 to July

The Korea Railroad Corporation named Yeonsan Station, Jeonchon Station, Yeosu Expo Station and Chuncheon Station as the best stations for the year 2012. The selections were made based on the revenues they earned and customer service. The small stations have attracted hundreds of visitors with unique activities. According to the KORAIL, Yeonsan Station became the most visited train station as a destination in itself thanks to various hands-on experiences created by its two staff. Jeonchon Station

CHICAGO (AP) ― Getting stranded at a U.S. airport once meant enduring hours of boredom in a kind of travel purgatory with nothing to eat but fast food. These days, it can seem more like passing through the gates of Shangri-la to find spas, yoga studios, luxury shopping and restaurant menus crafted by celebrity chefs in terminals with a calming, sleek design.Stung by airline bankruptcies and mergers, more U.S. airports are hunting for alternative revenue streams by hiring top design firms to tran

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company announced it will open a new hotel in Chengdu in Sichuan province, China, in summer 2013. The hotel will be located in the city’s largest commercial district and feature 353 rooms, including 55 suites, three restaurants, and meeting rooms large enough to host various kinds of meetings. Sichuan is renowned globally as the home of the giant panda, one of China’s national treasures, while the city of Chengdu enjoys a rich history dating back over 2,000 years as a cult

Moonmak Tourist Hotel in Wonju, Gangwon Province, joined the Benikea chain hotel group, certified by the Korea Tourism Organization. Benikea chain hotels are a group of reasonably priced hotels in Korea whose services are approved by the state tourism agency. With the new membership, the hotel changed its name to Benikea Hotel Aramis.The hotel with 66 rooms, restaurants and a caf is close to many tourist attractions in the region including Hanji Theme Park, Park Gyeong-ri Culture Park and Guryon