Lotte Hotel to open new hotel in Busan

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

March 21, 2013

2013 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix set for March 22-24

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

March 15, 2013

Seoul hotel room rates rise by 4 percent in 2012

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

March 15, 2013

Visitors spend big money on medical tourism in Korea

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

March 15, 2013

EU seeks improved passenger rights

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

March 15, 2013

China city searching for ‘modern Marco Polo’

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

March 13, 2013

KTO wins best exhibitor award at ITB Berlin

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

March 11, 2013

Ticket Monster offers special Japan travel packages

Group-buying site Ticket Monster is presenting Japanese cherry blossom travel packages from March 8 to 17. The travel packages, presented in cooperation with the Japanese Tourism Board, include accommodation and roundtrip airline tickets to major tourist destinations in Japan, including Fukuoka, Osaka/Kyoto, Tokyo and Hokkaido during April when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Tour agencies offer various packages such as 99,000-won roundtrip airline tickets to Osaka; 159,000 won roundtrip tick

March 8, 2013

Lotte Hotel opens hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Lotte Hotels and Resorts opened its second foreign branch in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on March 1. Lotte Legend Hotel Saigon, which previously operated under the name of Legend Hotel, became the second five-star hotel overseas under the direct management of the Korean hotel brand. The first foreign branch of the hotel operated under its direct management is Lotte Hotel Moscow. Lotte Legend Hotel Saigon is a 17-story hotel with 283 rooms, six restaurants and bars, a banquet space and a fitness c

March 8, 2013

Direct Incheon-Oslo flights to be launched

Korean Air is launching a direct flight between Incheon, South Korea and Oslo, Norway, starting May 25. The Incheon-Oslo flight will be available every Saturday from May 25 to June 21. The flight bound for Oslo will depart from Incheon at 10 a.m. and arrive at Oslo at 5:30 p.m. The total flight time is 13 hours from Incheon to Oslo and 11 hours and 30 minutes from Oslo to Incheon. Norway Tourism said the launch of the charter flight is a result of the rising number of Korean tourists to Norway.

March 8, 2013

Adventure travel grows despite occasional disaster

NEW YORK (AP) ― When Carole Rosenblat was growing up in the 1970s, her parents’ idea of an adventurous vacation was “driving cross-country from Michigan to California in a non-air-conditioned car with three kids.’’ Her idea of adventure is a little different: “Jumping out of planes ― things like that. Parasailing, hot-air ballooning. These things make you know you’re alive!’’And the balloon accident in Egypt that killed 19 people Tuesday is not likely to deter her from future adventures. “It doe

Feb. 28, 2013

More travelers use Airbnb

The online accommodation information service Airbnb announced the company experienced its largest growth in 2012 with 3 million guests who booked a night’s stay on the peer-to-peer lodging marketplace out of the 4 million total guests who traveled on Airbnb since the company’s founding in 2008. The peer-to-peer service matches spare rooms at homes of local residents and tourists looking for accommodation. The business model has received much attention as an example of the “sharing economy.” “On

Feb. 28, 2013