The Korea Herald

Vancouver still world's most liveable city: report

Jan. 1, 2012

New Orleans lets the good times roll for Mardi Gras

Jan. 1, 2012

Local surfers embrace ‘best time of year’POHANG, North Gyeongsang Province ― Now that we are in the deep of winter, most of us try to escape the winter chills, seeking the warmth of our homes. But for surfers in Korea this is the best time of the year to go to the beach.Many may raise their eyebrows if you say you are going to stand on a surfboard, waiting to be hit by waves, especially in these sub-zero temperatures.But the number of people surfing in our waters has increased significantly in

Dec. 30, 2011

Renaissance Seoul Hotel offers ‘Lucky Fortune Cookie Event’

Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Kabin, presents lucky fortune cookies that include special prizes to all customers dining at the restaurant through Jan. 24. For the month of January, Kabin offers exclusive lunch and dinner sets from the Chengdu city in Sichuan. Using the freshest seafood and ingredients, chefs have prepared hot, spicy and highly addictive dishes. As a special year-end and New Year’s event, a lucky fortune cookie is given to all guests dining at Kabin. There are 100

Dec. 30, 2011

Imperial Palace Boutique Hotel offers ‘3+1 Lunch Buffet’

Imperial Palace Boutique Hotel’s Cafe Amiga offers the “3+1 Lunch Buffet Promotion” through Feb. 29 for guests to celebrate the New Year at reasonable prices. The promotion offers a buffet for one for 9,900 won for any party of four dining in for the lunch buffet held from noon through 2:30 p.m. Guests are also welcome to make a special request to open the garden terrace for their private gatherings. Cafe Amiga is also offering the “Traditional European Beverages” event through Jan 31 with bever

Dec. 30, 2011

Accor Ambassador to open 3 more business hotels in Korea

Accor Ambassador Hotel has recently signed agreements to open three additional franchises in Korea. Scheduled to open late February, Mercure Ambassador Gangnam is conveniently located next to Yeoksam Station on Line 2. The hotel will offer 288 comfortable guestrooms with a restaurant and bar, five meeting rooms and a spa to meet demands from business travelers as well as tourists. Ibis Ambassador Insadong is scheduled to open in May 2013 with 360 guestrooms. Located within Insadong’s cultural to

Dec. 30, 2011

Tourism Malaysia & Shilla duty free shop host travel event

Tourism Malaysia Seoul and Shilla Duty Free Shop invite customers to their “Kota Kinabalu Travel Event” through Jan. 5. The two organizations are featuring this joint year-end event to offer tourists in Korea exquisite travel and shopping experiences. Anyone who purchases items totaling $500 or more at one of the four Shilla Duty Free Shops ― downtown Seoul, Incheon International Airport, Gimpo Airport and online ― during the event period can apply for a raffle. Two winners will win the “Kota Ki

Dec. 30, 2011

Elephants race, play soccer in Nepal festival

CHITWAN, Nepal (AP) ― Soccer-playing elephants used all four feet and even their trunks trying to score goals. Racing pachyderm thundered to the finish line to the cheers of the crowds. And in the elephant beauty pageant, contestants sported nail polish on their not-so-dainty toes.It was all part of an elephant-themed festival in Nepal that wrapped up Wednesday. The three-day event was held to promote conservation awareness and lure foreign visitors to Nepal.The elephants were trained for weeks

Dec. 30, 2011

Elephants race, play soccer in Nepal festival

Best of 2011: Tales of a travelin’ man

Planes (jet and prop), trains (speedy and meandering), and automobiles (convertible, utility and luxury) took me on my journeys in 2011, along with an odd assortment of motorboats, canoes and a monorail.I’ve had more hyperbolic years in the past, but a mixture of financial limits and contemplative mood had me slowing down my travels this year. I took time to savor a slice of southern Europe and three islands in Hawaii, to drive the Pacific Coast (on three different occasions) and to visit every

Dec. 30, 2011

Facebook unwelcome in Vietnam, but Zuckerberg OK

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) _ Vietnam may block its citizens from using Facebook, but that didn't stop website founder Mark Zuckerberg from vacationing in the communist country.In this Dec. 26, 2011 photo, Facebook website founder Mark Zuckerberg rides a water buffalo in northern resort town of Sapa i

Dec. 28, 2011

Facebook unwelcome in Vietnam, but Zuckerberg OK

This Holy Land battle focuses on tourists’ wallets

BETHLEHEM, West Bank ― A 45-foot-high artificial Christmas tree towers over Manger Square, and downtown Bethlehem is festooned with sparkling decorations. There’s even a picture of a saxophone-playing Santa Claus.But Nabil Giacaman, co-owner of a souvenir shop called Christmas House, isn’t feeling the holiday spirit.The third-generation wood carver, who sells handmade likenesses of baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary, sees as many as 200 tour buses arrive every day from Israel to visit the Church of

Dec. 23, 2011

This Holy Land battle focuses on tourists’ wallets

All fun and Games: London’s East End, Olympics-close, invites a fresh look

LONDON ― Never mind the sprints, relays and marathons coming to London this summer. Look at the competition now among the flower vendors of Columbia Road.“Who’s got a fiver?” hollers one grizzled man with a fistful of roses.“Four for 2 quid!” bellows another.“Five pounds a bunch!” howls yet another.These guys sound better than the extras in “My Fair Lady,” and they’re here every Sunday morning at Columbia and Ravenscroft streets, supplying blooms, succulents and a soundtrack to accompany London’

Dec. 23, 2011

All fun and Games: London’s East End, Olympics-close, invites a fresh look

Culture Ministry campaigns for winter traveling

To encourage families to travel around the country, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is holding various promotion events through January.Korea Tourism Organization website (www.visitkorea.co.kr) has suggestions on the best places to visit during the cold season, such as hot springs, winter sports destinations and traditional Korean houses with flat stone floor heating systems. Also introduced on the website are reasonably priced travel programs, which include two-day trips to Korean tradition

Dec. 23, 2011

KR-PASS sales increase 160 percent

Sales of KR-PASS, a railway pass exclusively for foreigners, increased by 158 percent this year, according to Korail. The KR-PASS service grants overseas tourists unlimited access to all of its trains ― including the KTX ― for one to 10 days based on the service users’ choice. Up to 12,617 purchased the pass from January through November.Korail believes the number of service users has been surging as more budget tourists opt to take their journey via rail. The state-run railway corporation also

Dec. 23, 2011

New Year’s Eve fireworks at Grand Hyatt Seoul

Grand Hyatt Seoul is preparing New Year’s Eve fireworks for lovers and families who want to count down the final moments of 2011 and welcome 2012 in a special way. The event will start off at 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the hotel’s famous ice rink, with guests enjoying free outdoor skating. With a snack buffet, skating demonstrations by the Junior Korean National Skating team, dance performances, a variety of games and lucky draw events, the event will continue through 1 a.m., with the final moments of

Dec. 23, 2011

Celebrating New Year at Novotel Ambassador

The buffet restaurant The Square at Novotel Ambassador Gangnam presents a special promotion for guests born in the Year of Dragon. From Jan. 1 through the end of the month, the restaurant will offer a complimentary buffet for guests born in 1952, while a 50 percent discount will be offered to all guests born in the Year of Dragon ― limited to one guest per table with four or more guests.The Square brings the finest collection of cuisines from around the world with high quality ingredients. Its o

Dec. 23, 2011

Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s global Korean cuisine

Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s Korean Restaurant Sabiru is offering an exclusive Korean dinner course starting Dec. 1. Developed by chef Lee Sang-hoon, the grand prize winner in World Korean Food Competition and Festival 2009, the course showcases a selection of creative Korean dishes that foreign diners can enjoy while also keeping the taste that makes Korean cuisine so special. Using fresh ingredients from Gangwon Province and Ulleungdo, unique items such as poached murex and ginseng paired with yu

Dec. 16, 2011

Cakes of the World Buffet at the Grand InterContinental

Unlimited aromatic teas and delicious desserts will be served at the Afternoon Tea Buffet of the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, during weekends with Christmas cakes from different countries available from Dec. 23-25. The Afternoon Tea Buffet offers mini sandwiches, scones with jam and whipping cream, almond cake and cherry pie as well as Korean traditional sweets such as tteok and sujeonggwa. Customers can choose from 10 different premium teas and enjoy a relaxing tea time. In addition to

Dec. 16, 2011

Hawaiian Airlines changes honeymoon flight schedule

Hawaiian Airlines will change its nonstop Incheon-Honolulu flight schedule starting Jan. 5 to accommodate the growing demand for travel to Hawaii from Korean honeymooners. Under the new schedule, Hawaiian Airlines’ HA460 will depart Incheon every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:15 p.m. and will arrive at Honolulu International Airport at 11 a.m. on the same day. The return flight bound for Incheon will depart Honolulu every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 1:15 p.m. and wil

Dec. 16, 2011

‘2012 Korea Grand Sale’ begins

Korea Grand Sale, a shopping event for overseas visitors, is set to take place from Jan. 9 through Feb. 29. During the sale period, visitors will be able to enjoy up to 50 percent discount on shopping, dining, accommodation and entertainment in Seoul, Busan, Jeju and other major cities across the country. Approximately 21,800 shops representing 72 different firms on food, accommodation, shopping and events are taking part in the event organized by the Visit Korea Committee. Seoul City also plans

Dec. 16, 2011