The Korea Herald

Princess Cruise adds jacuzzis on cruise ships

Feb 7, 2014

Princess Cruise has set up hot tubs in two cruise ships that will be operated in the Northeast Asia from April. As part of the $30 million cruise ship renewal project, the international cruise operator has installed indoor and outdoor hot tubs on Sun Princess and Diamond Princess, which will be positioned in China, Japan and South Korea soon. The hot tubs with natural materials will offer relaxation on board. Users will also be able to enjoy Asian foods to be provided by a noodle bar and a sushi
Seoul aims to boost foreign tourist satisfaction

Feb 6, 2014

City seeks to better cater to foreign visitors with tour product certification
[Graphic News] Domestic tourism in need of a shot in the arm

Feb 4, 2014

Domestic tourism remains sluggish a decade after Korea introduced a five-day workweek system, once billed as a golden opportunity for the leisure and tourism sector. Outbound travel, meanwhile, has grown steadily, data from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports show. According to the data reported to President Park Geun-hye during a meeting on tourism policies on Monday, the aggregate days that Koreans spent on domestic travel for all of 2012 were 360 million days, little changed from 350
Korea expects over 80,000 Chinese to visit for Seollal

Jan 28, 2014

Korea will see a large influx of Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday starting this weekend.According to the Korea Tourism Organization, more than 80,000 Chinese tourists will visit Korea from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, up 12 percent from the holiday period last year, when 71,000 Chinese tourists came to Korea.Throughout last year, about 4 million Chinese travelers visited Korea, making up 35.5 percent of the total foreign tourist arrivals. The state organization anticipates the number wil
Betting on snow

Jan 24, 2014

GOHAN-EUP, Gangwon Province ― Driving into Gohan-eup, it’s easy to mistake the isolated hamlet for just another ski town. Gohan serves as the gateway to the High1 Resort, and shops stocked with skis and snowboards line the road through the narrow mountain valley. In between the rental shops, though, attentive visitors will notice just as many pawn shops and loan agencies. The pawn shops (labeled “jeondangsa” in Gohan) don’t target ski bums, but gamblers. They signal the proximity of Kangwon Land
Music lovers flock to Nashville for free stuff

Jan 24, 2014

With music in the air, it’s easy to learn about Nashville’s musical history for free
Hong Kong tops Koreans’ travel destinations

Jan 24, 2014

Hong Kong ranked No. 1 among Koreans’ popular overseas travel destinations in 2012 and 2013, followed by Tokyo, Bangkok and Osaka. A recent Hotel Price Index survey by Hotel.com on the travel habits of Koreans has found that they prefer short-distance travel. The survey forecast that more Koreans would visit tourist spots not far from Korea during the increased number of holidays this year. Hotels.com promotes hotels on its website until Feb. 16, offering special rates for major hotels in Asia,
KTO recruits foreign tourism supporters

Jan 24, 2014

The Korea Tourism Organization is recruiting expats in Korea or those planning to stay in Korea for more than two months this year as tourism supporters. The supporters, who will act as goodwill ambassadors, will promote tour programs, events and Korean culture through social networking sites of their own countries. The foreign supporters can also participate in popular cultural events such as R-16, an international b-boy tournament, and Korea in Motion, a festival of musical performances. Those
Marriott expects to open Rwanda hotel by December

Jan 24, 2014

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ― Marriott International’s chief executive says a planned hotel in Rwanda should open by the end of this year. He also says that will make Marriott the first big international hotel chain to enter the country since its genocide two decades ago. Arne Sorenson says the Kigali hotel should be ready to open by December and that the company is working with local partners to fill jobs. Those about to get employed “feel like they’ve won the lottery,” Sorenson said on a panel Wed
Inbound cruise tourists increase over 6 years

Jan 22, 2014

The number of foreign cruise tourists to Korea has increased over the last six years, emerging as a welcome boost in the inbound travel market. Korea saw the number of foreign cruise passengers stopping at Korean ports grow tenfold from 70,000 in 2008 to 700,000 last year. Last year saw a two-fold increase from the previous year and the number is expected to reach about 900,000 this year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. “We expect the number of cruise tourists to Korea to continue t
Oakwood offers Lunar New Year package

Jan 22, 2014

Oakwood Premier Coex Center is offering a winter accommodation package to guests who wish to relax with family members during the Lunar New Year holidays next week. The package, available from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2, consists of a one-night stay, two movie tickets for Megabox and two Coex Aquarium passes. Rates range from 165,000-235,000 won ($154-220) depending on the room type. The Studio Deluxe is available at 165,000 won, the One Bed Deluxe at 195,000 won and the Two Bed Deluxe at 235,000 won. Fo
A spell in Japan’s ‘Hells’

Jan 17, 2014

At its best, travel involves stepping out of one’s comfort zone, and one way to do this in Japan is to step into a comfort zone ― a hot spring facility, or as they’re known locally, onsen. My previous visits to Japan were lacking in cultural immersion, so this time I decided to concentrate my short stay in the city of Beppu, arguably the world’s first hot spring tourist town.Attracting sore and stressed-out visitors since the Edo Period, the Beppu-Oita area has the highest volume of outflowing h
New meets old in Pittsburgh

Jan 17, 2014

PITTSBURGH ― I’ve never been to a city that loves itself more than Pittsburgh.This is not a criticism. After three days, I also loved Pittsburgh, a quaint, pretty city with interesting people doing interesting things, and a healthy dash of Old World, working-class charm.But ― and this is where Pittsburgh won me over ― it is not a city impressed with itself.New York, San Francisco and Portland, Ore., are wonderful cities that can’t resist preening when passing mirrors to remind themselves just ho
Jeju Grand Sale offers big discounts on travel packages

Jan 17, 2014

Big discounts will be offered on travel packages and rental cars during the Jeju Grand Sale, which runs until the end of February, according to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Office. The special sale event celebrating the milestone of 10 million tourists to Jejudo Island last year offers discounts of up to 50 percent on rental cars and travel programs for visitors to the island until Feb. 28. A total of 19 tourist agencies based on Jejudo Island are participating in the event. A travel
KTO provides tips for young backpackers

Jan 17, 2014

As the a large number of students go on backpacking trips during the winter season, the Korea Tourism Organization is offering freelance travel writers useful travel tips.Experts suggest that backpackers make their own name cards with links to their pages on social networking sites so that the relationships made during the trip can last. Google Maps and GPS systems are handy for travelers concerned about getting lost as they offer the clearest, most accurate directions. Backpackers are not encou