The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday announced the launch of this year’s Autumn Travel Week, a designated period between Oct. 20 and Nov. 1 featuring travel programs and government-recommended destinations.

Continuing the theme of travel spots featured in popular Korean movies and TV shows, 17 regional governments will take part in Travel Week.

Twenty travel spots are introduced on the event’s homepage (https://travelweek.visitkorea.or.kr), in categories such as a place to visit with the family, with a date, or by yourself. 

The Gonggan Yeohaeng program allows participants to visit four of the 20 spots with a specialist, and people can apply at the homepage until Oct. 14. This includes a visit to Yokjido in South Gyeongsang Province – where the KBS show “Battle Trip” was shot -- and a visit to Byeonsan in North Jeolla Province, where “Sunset in My Hometown” was filmed.

However, this program is for those able to speak Korean, as the homepage and commentaries are available only in Korean.

Special themed travel programs for Seoul, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province and North Gyeongsang Province will also be available.

Among them are tour programs that take participants to shooting sites of hit dramas “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” and “My Love from the Star” in Incheon, and filming sites of movies like “A Taxi Driver” and “The Spy Gone North” in Gwangju. There is also a bus tour of Jeolla Province that commences at Seodo Station in Namwon, which was used when shooting “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet.”

A popular temple stay program at 101 temples across the country -- available at 10,000 won ($9) for an overnight stay -- is also available. Reservations can be made at www.templestay.com -- in Korean and English -- from Oct. 8 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 2.

During the period, 390 regional festivals will be held around the country. For more information on the festivals around Korea, visit http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_2.jsp.

Government organizations and local companies will also participate to provide benefits for travelers during the period, including the Cultural Heritage Administration, offering 50 percent discounts for tickets for Jongmyo Shrine and Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Changdeokgung and Deoksugung palaces.


By Yoon Min-sik

(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)