The Korea Herald

Philippines offers roundtrip ticket to Manila to SNS users

Philippine Department of Tourism is holding the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” event which offers various gifts including a roundtrip ticket from Inchon to Manila or a Samsung camera. The department will draw the winners among those who posted stories or photos related to the Philippines at cafe.naver.com/phltourism, cafe.daum.net/phltourism or on the PDT facebook (www.facebook.com/PHLTOURISM), twitter (twitter.com/phltourism), or on YouTube (www.youtube.co/user/PHILTOURISMS?feature=watch ).

Feb. 24, 2012

Grand Canyon National Park gets more visitor friendly

Visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park this year will find new water-bottle refilling stations, a South Rim bicycle rental and bike-tour operation is expected to open, a multiuse trail is expected to be finished, and more.Grand Canyon National Park, the 5-million or 6-million-year-old granddaddy of Arizona tourism, logged 4.3 million visitors last year.Rangers say that’s a dip of 3.7 percent from the year before, but the canyon remains among the nation’s most visited parks. And despite its a

Feb. 24, 2012

Grand Canyon National Park gets more visitor friendly

Dozens injured by Thai hotel pool chlorine leak

More than 30 people, many of them foreign tourists, were rushed to hospital Saturday on the Thai resort island of Phuket after a chlorine leak at a hotel swimming pool, local officials said. (Bloomberg)The accident occurred shortly after 10:00am (0300 GMT) at the Phuket Orchid Resort and Spa hotel o

Feb. 19, 2012

Dozens injured by Thai hotel pool chlorine leak

4 arrested for eating endangered tortoises

Four Chinese nationals were arrested in Bikita, Zimbabwe, for capturing and killing 40 endangered tortoises for consumption, officials said.In a joint raid by police, the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and The Save Valley Conservancy Anti-Poaching Unit, 13 live tortoises were found

Feb. 19, 2012

Son wants 98-year-old mom evicted

A Connecticut man attempting to have his 98-year-old mother evicted from her home said he wants her out of the house for her own good.Peter Kantorowski, 71, eldest son of Mary Kantorowski, said he wants his mother out of the Fairfield home she has occupied since 1953 because "she would be better off

Feb. 19, 2012

Jeju Air opens new route between Incheon and Ho Chi Minh City

Jeju Air will open on April 5 a new route connecting Incheon and Ho Chi Minh City. The new daily flight to Ho Chi Minh will depart Incheon International Airport at 8:05 p.m. and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at 11:20 p.m., local time. The return flight will depart Ho Chi Minh City at 0:20 a.m. and land at Incheon International Airport at 7:25 a.m. The roundtrip airfare starts at 340,000 won, fuel surcharges and airport taxes not included. Reservations can be made through the Jeju Air website. Fligh

Feb. 17, 2012

Lotte Hotel Jeju offers D.I.Y. weekday package

Lotte Hotel Jeju offers the 2012 Weekday Package through March 8, for those looking for an economical getaway to Jeju Island on weekdays. In addition to the basic offer of a one-night stay in a lake-view room at Lotte Hotel Jeju and breakfast for two, guests can also choose from six additional privileges, each worth 20,120 won. The six privileges include up-grading to a Deluxe Ocean Room with a commanding a view of Jeju’s blue ocean; breakfast for one which you can choose among Korean cuisine, b

Feb. 17, 2012

Strawberry dessert buffet at InterContinental Seoul COEX

The Lobby Lounge at the InterContinental Seoul COEX offers a spring-themed strawberry dessert buffet until April 22. The lounge is running a strawberry cocktail promotion that offers strawberry-based juices, soft drinks, smoothies, and cocktails. The dessert buffet is held from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It costs 28,000 won which includes the variety of strawberry desserts as well as coffee and tea. Strawberry cocktails, which are available at any time, are priced at 17,0

Feb. 17, 2012

Grand Hyatt Seoul offers Chinese dumpling and noodle specials

The Chinese Restaurant at Grand Hyatt Seoul presents a variety of Chinese dumpling and noodle delicacies created by the chefs from Grand Hyatt Beijing from Feb. 16-28. The chefs from the award-winning restaurant Noble Court at Grand Hyatt Beijing introduce 17 varieties of Chinese dumplings and noodles. The a la carte dim sum selections range from 7,500 won to 25,000 won, exclusive of tax and service charge. For more information, call (02) 799-8163.

Feb. 17, 2012

Just in time for Carnival: Beginner’s guide to Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ― “Brazil is not for beginners,” the late, great Brazilian composer Tom Jobim once quipped. Nowhere does the remark hold more true than for the country’s pulsing, chaotic oceanfront metropolis, Rio de Janeiro.This is a city of contrasts, where vastly different worlds rub shoulders, and the unexpected lies lurking around every corner.Hang a right during an aimless stroll through the chic beachside neighborhoods of Ipanema or Copacabana and you might just bump into a lush tropi

Feb. 17, 2012

Just in time for Carnival: Beginner’s guide to Rio

Soelden: the best winter resort you haven’t heard of (yet)

SOELDEN, Austria ― We arrived in Soelden after heavy snows had fallen and the sky had grown as blue and clear as an Alpine lake. (“We” being a family of three: husband, wife and a toddler named Ryan.)Soelden is in the Oetztal region of Tyrol, in the Austrian Alps. It is very popular with Europeans but comparatively unknown to North American ski and snowboard enthusiasts, even to those who, like us, frequent the Alps. That was part of the appeal: After so many ski trips together, my wife and I cr

Feb. 17, 2012

Soelden: the best winter resort you haven’t heard of (yet)

Grandpa charged in forced Grand Canyon hikes

A U.S. man faces trial Wednesday on accusations that he forced his young grandsons to hike for kilometers in the Grand Canyon without food or water in brutal August heat.Christopher Alan Carlson’s grandsons, who were 12, 9 and 8 at the time, told investigators that Carlson hit, pushed, choked, and s

Feb. 16, 2012

Kyobo cuts prices of English travel books

Korea Tourism Organization and Kyobo Bookstore on Wednesday jointly kicked off a promotional event on English-language tourism books on Korea.The books are available at a discounted price at the bookstore’s online store (www.kyobobook.co.kr). Gifts are offered at the offline bookstore in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, with each purchase of the books. KTO also announced that it will introduce the books at its English-language website (www.visitkorea.or.kr) and give information on where they can be p

Feb. 15, 2012

Organic wine gala dinner on Valentine’s Day

Asian cuisine restaurant Asian Live at the InterContinental Seoul COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, is offering an Organic Wine Gala Dinner for Valentine’s Day. The dinner is based on healthy hansik (Korean traditional cuisine), prepared by chef Kim Byeong-eun who was in charge of the meals during the ASEM and G20 meetings. Guests can enjoy a delicious full-course gala dinner accompanied by sparkling wine Toques et Clochers Crmant de Limoux 2007. The Organic Wine Gala Dinner is available on

Feb. 10, 2012

Finair offers early bird promotion

Finair is offering tickets to major European cities at about 600,000 won as a February promotional event. Flights to Amsterdam, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Zurich and Prague cost 600,000 won until Feb. 29 and trips to other European cities are priced at 700,000 won, excluding tax.Departure should be before April 15 and the return date should be no later than May 15. The length of required stay is from four days to a month. The promotional event also includes a free stop-over at Helsinki,

Feb. 10, 2012

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul’s molecular cocktails

JW Marriott Seoul’s Bar Rouge in Banpo-dong, southern Seoul, has invited molecular cocktail expert Antonio Lai as a guest bartender from Feb. 8 to 11 to present his famous molecular cocktails. Having worked in various areas of food and beverage for 14 years in Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, Germany, Italy and the United States, he first encountered molecular cocktails while training as a cocktail maker in Italy. Since then, Antonio’s research and development gained him a reputation as one of the

Feb. 10, 2012

American shifts to more self-serve kiosks

American Airlines recently completed a radical makeover of its lobby at Los Angeles International Airport, a project that eliminated the counters that separate ticket agents from long lines of passengers.In place of counters, American Airlines installed banks of self-serve kiosks, a total of 36 machines, where passengers can check in, get boarding passes and pay for on-board extras.Although American Airlines filed for bankruptcy in November and has called for 13,000 layoffs, airline officials sa

Feb. 10, 2012

Fascinating and feisty Bucharest: Romania’s capital rises from its past

BUCHAREST, Romania ― On Sunday morning in Bucharest, I knew just what I wanted to do: I wanted to go to church. I also wanted to go down to the Old City, visit a few museums and buy a warm pretzel from a sidewalk stand. But mostly I wanted to go to church.Bucharest is studded with nearly 300 exquisite churches, some dating to the 1500s. During Communist times, Nicolae Ceausescu tore some of them down, and he hid others inside mammoth apartment blocks, but Romania has always been a religious coun

Feb. 10, 2012

Fascinating and feisty Bucharest: Romania‘s capital rises from its past

BUCHAREST, Romania -- On Sunday morning in Bucharest, I knew just what I wanted to do: I wanted to go to church. I also wanted to go down to the Old City, visit a few museums and buy a warm pretzel from a sidewalk stand. But mostly I wanted to go to church.Bucharest is studded with nearly 300 exquisite churches, some dating to the 1500s. During Communist times, Nicolae Ceausescu tore some of them down, and he hid others inside mammoth apartment blocks, but Romania has always been a religious cou

Feb. 10, 2012

Chill out on ice

Cold winter brings ice climbing seasonWinter is at its peak in Korea, and many find it difficult to stay outside. But that’s not the case for a handful of hardcore climbers who scale frozen waterfalls and ice floes.Most of us wouldn’t want to pull ourselves up slippery ice, but these people try to climb a vertical wall of it in frigid weather and unstable conditions.“It’s just fun to get out there. Sometimes you have to push yourself to get up to the top, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Peter Je

Feb. 3, 2012