Miami Beach -- America’s sexiest metropolis

MIAMI BEACH, Florida -- This just may be America’s sexiest city -- a symphony of sand, surf and sherbet-colored sunrises set to a sassy salsa beat. It is palm trees and pulsating nightlife; torpid days and tropical nights; shimmering pools and shimmying revelers. 　Can you imagine a less glamorous city spawning “Miami Vice’s” Sonny Crockett and his linen suits or “C.S.I. Miami’s” Horatio Caine and his signature sunglasses?　The epicenter of all this glamor is South Beach -- a slice of sand along O

May 13, 2016

[Travel Bits] Round up of travel news

 Everland Rose Festival　The nation’s largest outdoor amusement park, Everland, is hosting its annual Rose Festival until June 12. The theme park, located in Yongin just outside of Seoul, is celebrating its 40th anniversary and is currently flooded with roughly 1 million roses scattered throughout the park’s luscious garden areas. 　This year’s Rose Festival is highlighted by the newly established, “Shakespeare Garden,” which features specialized storyboards of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” “Romeo and J

May 13, 2016

[Graphic News] Koreans vacation more frequently on home turf

Koreans traveled more frequently within the country last year compared to the year before, according to a travel survey report released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.In 2015, about 87.9 percent of the population aged over 15 made trips within the country, a 1.6 percent increase from 2014. An average Korean citizen travels 5.47 times a year for the combined duration of 9.34 days and spends an average of 582,770 won ($500). The survey was conducted on 6,534 Korean citizens, aged o

May 12, 2016

Jjimjilbang the most exotic experience for foreigners

Cosmojin Tour, specializing in catering to foreign tourists, announced Wednesday that majority of its clients picked jjimjilbang as their most exotic experience in Korea. Jjimjilbang is a type of an indoor leisure complex that combines sauna, karaoke and restaurant.  Even the U.S. ambassador to Korea, Mark Lippert, tried jjimjilbang while meeting with university students.According to Cosmojin Tour, it surveyed 926 tourists who visited Korea in March and April for their most memorable experience.

May 11, 2016

Rotary International Convention set to be Korea’s largest multicultural gathering

Goyang City will be hosting the Rotary’s 107th annual international convention, which is expected to attract more than 50,000 Rotary club members from more than 160 countries including Korea, making it the most multicultural nonprofit gathering in Korea.　The convention is scheduled to be held at the Kintex convention center in Gyeonggi Province from May 28 to June 1 and it is estimated to host roughly 25,000 foreign nationals. The Rotary is a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tack

May 11, 2016

Gyeongju provides discounts for long weekend

The city of Gyeongju will provide massive discounts for tourists during the four-day weekend that starts from Thursday. The iconic town in north Gyeongsang Province, is a popular travel destination, boasting well-preserved national treasures and historic sites.  (Korea Tourism Organization)On May 5, which is Children’s Day, Gyeongju’s Yangdong Folk Village, which dates back to the Joseon Dynasty, will offer free entry to children and a 15 percent discounted entry price for family members. Shilla

May 4, 2016

French Lascaux cave paintings add sparkle to hidden gem Gwangmyeong Cave

GWANGMYEONG, Gyeonggi Province (Yonhap) -- The fate of Gwangmyeong Cave has fluctuated with the various happenings in the wild Korean modern history.　During the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), it was abused for precious metals like gold and copper for the Japanese. When the specter of exploitation had finally gone, it became a shelter for Korean refugees during the Korean War (1950-1953). In peacetime, the abandoned gold mine served as a storage for salted shrimp.　Now, the beautifully tran

April 29, 2016

[Travel Bits] Round up of travel news from around the world　

 Springtime eateries on Jejudo Island　The following are two eateries on Jejudo Island featuring natural, seasonal dishes that travelers may want to visit during their spring outings.　Temple Stay Food in the southwestern district of Jejudo Island is a restaurant that specializes in temple food. The eatery serves healthy, fresh vegetable-based dishes that the Buddhist monks eat in their mountainside Buddhist temples. Key dishes include lotus leaf-wrapped rice and seaweed flower rice set. The resta

April 29, 2016

[Around the hotels] Round up of hotel events and news

Family time at Kensington Yoido　Kensington Yoido presents Fun & Fun Kids Package until May 26 to celebrate the month of family.　The package includes a one night’s stay at Deluxe Room along with a mini bar offering kids-friendly snacks and beverages. It also includes two Cocomong Kids Land tickets for an adult and a kid, and the doll of the Cocomong character. Cocomong is the main character of Korean animation series “Cocomong” which aired on EBS1.　The package also offers breakfast buffet for two

April 22, 2016

[Travel Bits] Round up of travel news from around the world

‘Yeon Deung Hoe’ to celebrate Buddha’s birthday　Korea’s Important Intangible Cultural Property No.122 “Yeon Deung Hoe,” also known as the Lotus Lantern Festival, will take place at Jogyesa and Bongeunsa temples and on Jongno Street on May 6-8. The festival celebrating Buddha’s birthday which falls on May 14 this year, will offer glimmering night views with lotus lanterns and a vast array of traditional cultural experiences. The festival will feature traditional lantern exhibitions at three separ

April 22, 2016

An authentic taste of Spain in Madrid

This is the second and final article of a two-part travel series on a weeklong journey to the new European capital of culture, San Sebastian, Spain, and through the heart of the country’s capital, Madrid. - Ed.MADRID -- Priceless works of arts, world-class cuisine and a rich history -- there’s no touristic thirst that cannot be quenched in Madrid, Spain’s alluring capital.　Spain is certainly no stranger to the tourism spotlight. Last year the country was the third most visited country in the wor

April 22, 2016

Canapes under the canopy? Paris gentrifies rusty mall

PARIS (AP) -- Swapping burgers for lobster souffle and rusty welding for a state-of-the-art canopy roof, Paris' mayor this month unveiled a $1 billion revamp of the city’s dilapidated main shopping and transport complex, Les Halles. 　Paris authorities view the building project -- which made central Paris a construction site pockmarked with cranes for seven years -- as an opportunity to gentrify the ‘70s complex that was often voted among the city's the biggest eyesores by disgruntled Paris resid

April 21, 2016

A bazaar of last resort in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES –– Claudia Flores and her husband were months past due on $60 phone and $80 electricity bills.　So they packed their minivans with strollers, car seats, used T-shirts and assorted other things and drove to a stretch of Figueroa Street just blocks from Imperial Highway in South Los Angeles.　There, they spread their wares on the sidewalk and opened for business.　This part of Figueroa Street has become a shopping bazaar of last resort for people living on the margins.　Every weekend, doze

April 19, 2016

Europe’s new culture capital: San Sebastian a feast for the eyes, palate

This is a two-part travel series on a weeklong journey to the new European capital of culture, San Sebastian, Spain, and through the heart of the country’s capital, Madrid. – Ed.SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain -- Located a mere stone’s throw away from the Spain-France border in the Northern Basque country hugging the Bay of Biscay is the quaint, gastronomy mecca coastal city of San Sebastian, Spain. Well on its way to becoming one of the hottest European vacation-spot destinations of the year, San Sebastia

April 15, 2016

[Around the hotels] Roundup of hotel events

Cantonese gala dinner at Millennium Seoul Hilton　Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Chinese restaurant Taipan is hosting a “Gourmet Circle” gala dinner on April 22 to showcase the restaurant’s new, Cantonese cuisine-focused menu.　The dinner will commence at 7 p.m. with Chinese traditional tea and Tsingtao beer. Appetizers will include Peking duck and suckling pig stuffed with shrimp paste. The dinner proper will feature an array of delectable dishes such as a Chinese barbecue and cold dish combination, d

April 15, 2016

[Travel bits] Outdoor activities for spring

Taean Tulip Festival　Scenic ride on Mungyeong Rail Bike　One scenic activity tourists will want to enjoy in the upcoming season is a ride on the Mungyeong Rail Bike, which runs along tracks winding through the pastoral landscape of Jinnam Gyoban, North Gyeongsang Province.  　The area used to be home to the country’s second largest coal mines back in the days of the coal industry’s boom.　Now, though the trains have ceased to run, the tracks have been repurposed to carry rail bikes, which carry up

April 15, 2016

[Around the hotels] Round up of hotel events and news

Imperial Palace Seoul presents ‘Ciné & Dine package’　Imperial Palace Seoul presents Ciné & Dine package for guests looking to experience hotel dining and movies at the same time until April 24.　The package features one night stay in Deluxe or Business Room, two movie tickets, restaurant voucher worth 50,000 won, and a 20 percent discount at restaurants. Complimentary access to fitness club and indoor swimming pool will be also included.　The restaurant voucher and 20 percent discount offer can be

April 8, 2016

[Travel bits] Round up of travel news from around the world

Natural sites in Germany　The theme for this year’s tourism in Germany is “A Vacation in Nature,” according to the country’s tourism office. Germany boasts over 130 natural sites comprised of 16 national parks, 15 UNESCO biosphere reserves and over 100 natural parks.　The office has selected 16 scenic sites to recommend to visitors -– including the orchid-filled Bliesgau UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the serene Elbe riverside, the wild and untamed Black Forest National Park, the Jasmund National Park

April 8, 2016

Arizona’s wildest ride: the Apache Trail

My hands gripped the steering wheel. My right foot rode the brake. I was easing a four-wheel-drive rental down a steep, narrow, curving dirt road in the Arizona wilderness, and I was beginning to wonder what I’d gotten myself into.　On the passenger side, a towering craggy stonewall threatened to dent the car and make me regret that I had declined the rental company’s insurance cover­age. Still, I stayed as close to that wall as I dared. On the driver’s side was a fate worse than a scrape: an abr

April 8, 2016