S. Korea aims to be a top cruise destination
Filipinos who love to travel to Korea would be glad to know that there’s another exciting way to enjoy the scenic spots in the country via a cruise travel.
Not many people are aware that Korea is an ideal destination for cruise tours because of its ports and terminals in Jeju, Incheon, Busan and Yeosu, as well as ports that can accommodate large cruise ships in Sokcho and Donghae.
Korea, a peninsula in northeast Asia, is surrounded by three different seas, the Yellow Sea on the west, the East China Sea on the south, and the Sea of Japan on the east, which makes it ideal for cruise travel. Moreover, it is a country that has about 5,000 years of history, abundant tourism, resources and beautiful nature.
This year, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is beefing up its marketing to promote the country as a top cruise destination, especially with the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February, when people will be interested in visiting the lovely cities of Gangwon and Pyeongchang, the site of next year’s Olympics.
During the recent 4th Korea Cruise Travel Mart organized by the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) in Seoul, various cruise companies from all over the world, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Russia and Australia, converged to discuss the growth and promotion plans of the country as a top cruise destination.
According to a data released by the KTO on the Asian cruise tour industry, Shanghai still top in terms of the number of departures by home port with 437 in 2016, with Hong Kong at second with 185, and Tianjin in China following with 124 departures.
According to the ministry of tourism, inbound tourists to Korea exceeded 17.2 million and cruise passengers accounted for a total of 2.26 million in 2016.
Some 821 port entries were opened last year, double the 412 port entries in 2015, bringing in 1.05 million visitors. Back in 2004, there were only 24 foreign cruise ships when Korea opened its ports, ferrying only over 10,000 passengers. But now it has grown in leaps and bounds.
Credit goes to Korea’s continuous efforts to modernize and improve its ports.
“Travel mart today sees an important opportunity to diversify Korea’s cruise markets” officials from the ministry of tourism said.
During the event, there were presentations on the Korea cruise tourism and business consultation and networking.
During an interview with Michael Lim, sales manager of MSC Cruises, and one of the foreign participants of the Travel Mart, he said he sees a lot of potential in Korea as a major cruise destination, citing its location (surrounded by seas and ports).
MSC Cruises is owned and operated by Singapore-based Modern Shipping and Travels Pte. Ltd.
“The Chinese tourists are still the number one visitors who avail of the cruise to Korea and I think it is because of a myriad of factors like the beautiful sceneries, the country’s four seasons, the food, the hallyu wave, etc.,” said Mr. Lim said.
Lim cited that part of the appeal of a cruise travel is that its hassle-free — you pack your things, leave your lugggage on the ship and stroll.
During the second leg of the travel mart program, participants were taken to the lovely cities of Gangwon and Pyeongchang, the cities where cruise tourists will go whenever they dock and arrive at Sokcho Port.
Jasmin Jayeon An, marketing director of the Gangwon Maritime Tourism Center, said many are surprised that there are a lot of scenic places and super fun things to do in Gangwon.
“There are exciting and fun things you can do in Sokcho. There are so many places to visit that I’m sure Filipinos will enjoy,” Ms. An said.
In a nut shell, Gangwon is located on the east side of the Korean peninsula, where 82 percent of the total area is mountainous. Uniquely, Gangwon’s northern boundary meets the DMZ or the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, so this province is a starting point of trips to Geumgangsan and Baekdusan in North Korea.
According to the KTO, Gangwon is the most popular holiday destination for Ko- reans and well-known for its different tourist attractions by season: gorgeous flowers in spring, swimming at the beach in summer, colorful autumn leaves in fall and snowy land in winter.
The city of Sokcho is often described by locals “as a gift from God” because of its many picturesque spots, Ms. An said.
In Sokcho, the participants got to see the iconic Seoraksan Mountain.
Every year, approximately 3,000,000 visitors come to enjoy Seoraksan, which is why it is the biggest tour and leisure destination in Korea.
A lot of hotels and inns dot the Seoraksan National Park and one of the nearest is Kensington Stars Hotel. From the hotel, you can reach the place in 15 minutes.
Upon reaching the park, you can take a cable car which will take you to the peak of the mountain. The cable car, which is an exciting experience by itself, takes about five minutes. From the mountain you need to take a flight of stairs to reach the peak and from there, you can see a breathtaking view of the East River and the beautiful adjacent mountains beside Mt. Seoraksan.
After visiting Mt. Seoraksan, another must-visit is the Sokcho Tourist and Fisheries market where several fish shops, sushi restaurants, wholesale and retail shops are located.
The market’s fresh seafood is straight from the East Sea.
After visiting the Sokcho market, tourists should visit the Abai Village, which is very near the market.
Abai Village is now occupied by refugees of the Korean war, who came to the south side of Korea and were unable to return after the separation of the country.
To go to the village, most tourists take the Gatbae or raft, for a one-of-a-kind experience. Gatbae is the one and only boat in Korea that is operated without any power, but by pulling rope with customers that is connected from one end to the other.
After the Socho city tour, the participants went to Pyeonchang, the venue of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Pyeonchang is called the “Alps of Asia” due to its unique wintery environment. It is also referred to as the holy land of winter sports. The 2018 Pyeonchang Winter Olympics will be held at Alpensia Resort which has ski jump, tower facility, ski history museum, golf club, hotel and condominium.
Finally, when in Gangwon, one must not fail to visit the Anmokhang (Port) Coffee Streets in Gangneung.
Gangneung is the home to over 250 coffee shops such as antorini, L. Bean, Hasla Coffee and Coffee Cupper. Here’s a little bit trivia in Gangneung: although there are many fancy cafes dotting Anmokhang Port, there are as well many coffee vending machines too.
Indeed, there are a lot of interesting and fun places to visit in Gangwon, especially when your are on a cruise.