Located smack-dab in the heart of Korea’s largest retail district of Dongdaemun ― home to 26 shopping centers and around 30,000 local specialty shops ― and situated directly across from one of Seoul’s most iconic national treasures, the East Gate, is the new JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul, which officially opened its doors to the public on Tuesday.“South Korea is one of Asia’s fastest-growing global economies and a strategically important North Asian travel hub,” said Simon Cooper, presiden

Feb. 7, 2014

If a foreign tourist comes to Korea, he or she is most likely to visit the capital Seoul first, before venturing out to explore the provinces. More than 12 million foreigners visited Korea in 2013, up 9.3 percent from 2012. Of these, some 10 million foreigners took a trip to the capital city. As for Chinese tourists, more than 90 percent visited Seoul, according to data compiled by the city-run Seoul Institute. Despite the status of Seoul as the face of Korea to foreign visitors, tourism program

Feb. 6, 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

Feb. 4, 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

Jan. 28, 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

Jan. 24, 2014

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) ― Nashville’s history is so intertwined with music and creative expression that tunes seem to pour from every door and window. From Music Row to the Honky Tonk Highway, the city recognizes its past, while also celebrating emerging artists who are drawn to the city just like music lovers. Learn a little about the great artists that defined the Nashville scene for decades, hear new music that may soon be hitting radio waves, and take a sniff of Tennessee sipping whiskey,

Jan. 24, 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

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

Jan. 22, 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

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

Jan. 17, 2014