Korean tourists to Japan surged in January, up 41.2 percent from last year. The total number of Korean tourists increased from 1,658,073 in 2011, when the number hit its lowest following the devastating earthquake and tsunami, to 2,044,263 in 2012. The Japanese tourism board attributed the increase to the fall in the value of the yen and the diminishing fear of radiation. According to local travel agency Mode Tour, 14,200 Koreans booked Japanese travel packages in January and 14,700 in February,

The second Italian food festival will be held in Korea to present locals with the “real” taste of Italy. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea and five Italian restaurants in Seoul, who are members of the chamber and its food and beverage committee, will be participating in the festival, scheduled for March 30-April 30. The participating restaurants are Buon Posto and Italian Gril Spasso in Cheongdam-dong, CasAntonio in Itaewon, Elea in Gocheok-dong and Trattoria da Franco in Bongcheon-dong.

KORAIL this week conducted a trial run of sightseeing and mountain trains launching later this month. The “O-train” that loops around attractions in Taebaek, Jaecheon and Yeongju offers passengers the opportunity to watch their train moving via sightseeing monitors installed inside. The shuttle train is decorated with four seasonal motifs of the Korean mountains and features an observation platform, rooms with different-sized beds, a children’s playground and coffee shops. The other mountain tra

Lotte Hotel will take part in the burgeoning hotel scene in Busan, announcing on Thursday its plan to open a new property in 2017. With the growing number of tourists in the port city, the second largest city of Korea is in need of more hotel rooms and accommodations. To meet the demand, luxury hotels are flocking to open new properties at high-rise development sites near Haeundae beach. Lotte Hotel said it signed a memorandum understanding with the developer LCT PFV on the hotel opening and est

The 2013 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix will be held from March 22-24 at Sepang International Circuit located near Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix race is considered the highlight of the F1 race circuits worldwide for its short and tight hairpin and challenging courses. In its 15th year, the Malaysian Grand Prix is attracting global attention with the alliance of Lewis Hamilton with the Mercedes AMG team, which is sponsored by Malaysian oil company Petronas and Nico Ros

The average hotel room price in Seoul, the most preferred travel destination in Korea for foreign travelers, increased by 4 percent to 190,430 won in 2012, a jump higher than the global average of 3 percent that year, according to the hotel booking website Hotels.com. Of other major cities in Korea, Seogwipo on the resort island of Jeju showed the biggest increase of 23 percent to 281,221 won last year. Busan showed the biggest drop in hotel room rates, a 19 percent decrease to 177,405 won. The

The medical tourism industry in Korea is estimated to be 350.9 billion won ($319 million), according to a survey conducted by the Korea Tourism Organization. The KTO asked 1,319 foreign patients who received medical services in Korea in the six months since last July about their total spending during the period, which includes not only medical bills, but also accommodation, shopping and other travel-related expenses. According to the survey, the ratio of medical spending to travel-related spendi

BRUSSELS (AP) ― The European Union is considering beefed up measures to help stranded passengers get compensation and find quicker ways to get home.EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said Wednesday that a new package with improved measures would also boost carriers from the 27 member nations in global competition since consumers would be drawn to companies offering the best conditions.“These rules only apply if you are on a European carrier. So my message is ‘Fly European,’” Kallas told repor

BEIJING (AFP) ― A Chinese city is searching for a foreign traveller to become a “modern Marco Polo,” with a 40,000 euro ($52,000) salary on offer to the winner, a tourism official said Wednesday.Hangzhou in eastern China, renowned for its canals and bridges, was described as the “most beautiful and elegant city in the world” by the Venetian traveller, whose 13th-century journal was one of the first detailed accounts of China written by a European.Now the city is “calling people around the world

The Korea Tourism Organization won the Best Exhibitor Award from the International Tourism Bourse, one of the world’s largest international travel trade shows held in Berlin last week, according to the state tourism agency. The KTO booth has won the award for eight consecutive years for its creative display design and culture and tourism content. The award was based on scores given by a team of 30 tourism professionals with the trade show, which was held from March 6-10. At the main stage, the K