Korea attracts record number of foreign tourists

The number of foreign tourists to Korea reached a record 5 million in the first half of the year, thanks to a surge in visitors from Japan and China, a state tourism agency said on Wednesday. The Korea Tourism Organization expected the number of foreign visitors to reach 5.33 million by the end of June, which is a 23.3 percent increase from the previous year.Of them, the number of Japanese tourists jumped 30.2 percent and Chinese tourists increased 29.9 percent, accounting for 56 percent of the

July 12, 2012

Naked Cowboy threatens suit against Indian

New York City's "Naked Cowboy" has threatened a lawsuit against the up-and-coming "Naked Indian" over turf in Times Square.The Cowboy, Robert Burck, who has been playing guitar and singing in his underwear and cowboy hat in Times Square for years, now has a rival in the Indian, Adam Davis, the New York Daily News reported Saturday.Burck, who said there are no ill feelings between him and Davis, ha

July 9, 2012

Four Seasons Tokyo rebranded as Hotel Chinzanso

Japan’s leading hotel business company Fujita Kanko renamed its luxury hotel Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzanso near Shinjuku to Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo and started to receive reservations on July 2. Reservations can be made online at http://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.jp or by telephone at +81-3-3943-0996. The hotel located at the Chinzanso, a grand Japanese botanical garden, features 259 guest rooms, six restaurants and well-equipped banquet and meeting rooms including one that can hold banquets fo

July 6, 2012

Luxury residence Pentaz opens in eastern Seoul

Konkuk University’s hotel and leisure company The Classic 500 opened a luxury residence Pentaz in Jayang-dong, Seoul on Thursday. The residence features 84 rooms equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, a business center that facilitates various business meetings, a luxury spa, an outdoor swimming pool and a fitness club that offers customized exercise plans with medical advice offered by Konkuk University Medical Center as well as an indoor golf facility, a buffet and a wine and dining bar. T

July 6, 2012

Conrad Hotel to open in Seoul

The hotel chain Hilton Worldwide will open its luxury brand Conrad Hotel in Seoul’s financial district Yeouido in November. The hotel expects to provide state-of-the-art facilities and services under the “Smart Luxury” concept.Connected to the Yeouido subway station through an underground passageway, it will offer easy access to major parts of the city such as Gangnam and Gwangwhamun as well as airports. “Conrad Seoul will be the best choice for business travelers and tourists visiting Seoul,” s

July 6, 2012

KORAIL invites passengers to music festival

Korea Railroad Corporation will invite passengers who are selected in a random lottery to the 2012 Ultra Music Festival Korea, which will take place on Aug. 3-4. The train passengers can apply for the concert at www.korail.com until July 15. Winners will get two tickets per person. The UMF Korea is a world-famous electronic music festival started in the U.S. It holds performances featuring top international DJs including Tiesto, Carl Cox, Skrillex and Steve Aoki. Winners will be announced on Jul

July 6, 2012

New York City loves its High Line, the trail in the sky

NEW YORK ― It is a new and still-growing trail.It’s not long: Just 1 mile, or 19 blocks.Welcome to the High Line Trail in the heart of New York City. It is known by some as the “Miracle Above Manhattan” and “The Trail in the Sky.”The rail line-turned-trail sits 30 feet above the crowded streets on Manhattan’s Lower West Side. It’s gotten a lot of ink because it is a distinctive urban trail. There’s even a hardcover book about its short history.It is an expensive trail: $153 million and rising. B

July 6, 2012

Two local hotels become BENIKEA hotel members

Swiss Rosen Hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and Jazz Around Hotel in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, joined the Benikea chain hotel group, certified by the Korea Tourism Organization. Benikea chain hotels are a group of reasonably priced hotels in Korea whose services are approved by the state tourism agency. Swiss Rosen Hotel located in the Bomun Tourism Complex of Gyeongju has 55 rooms decorated with Mediterranean-inspired designs. It also features a restaurant overlooking the fam

June 29, 2012

Travel Advisor opens Korean website

The global travel information website Travel Advisor has launched its Korean website. The Korean-language website assists travelers in gathering information when planning trips in Korea as well as to foreign countries. Trip Advisor offers reliable travel information based on reviews written by more than 60 million tourists worldwide. According to Jason Chung, country director for Korea, the Korean website has seen a great increase in the number of page views for accommodation facilities ― 137 pe

June 29, 2012

National Park Service offers summer programs

Korea National Park Service has recommended family-friendly camping sites and various summer programs throughout the 19 national parks in the country. The KNPS lists 37 camping sites, including two on Jiri Mountain and one on Taean Beach, where visitors can book a spot in advance online. Other camping sites at Seorak Mountain, Odae Mountain and Deokyu Mountain and six other mountains are available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis at the site. The park service also introduced vario

June 29, 2012

Korail offers 42 percent discount on airport train

Korea Railroad Corporation said they will offer a big discount on airport train fares from July to December. Now that the entire airport line is completed, Korail is offering a 42-percent discount on the 13,800 won one-way ticket. With the discount, it costs 8,000 won for a trip from Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station. The airport train, which has eight stops between the airport to the city center, takes 53 minutes to get to Seoul Station while the airport express, which has no stops

June 29, 2012