Jecheon, Muju, Tongyeong -- 2016 travel destinations

Korea has chosen Jecheon City in North Chungcheong Province, Muju County in North Jeolla Province and Tongyeong City in South Gyeongsang Province as the country’s main travel destinations in 2016.

The Korea Tourism Organization said that it will work with the two cities and the county to develop and promote tourism programs for local and overseas tourists.

The move is in line with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s efforts to boost regional tourism. The ministry launched the regional promotions program in 2004 to increase tourism in small and midsized cities and counties.

Jecheon will aim to attract some 11 million tourists by promoting itself as the “healing city” while Muju will be branding itself as the “leisure sports county” with the goal of attracting over 6.5 million tourists. Tongyeong, meanwhile, will seek to attract 4.2 million tourists to the coastal city where people can enjoy marine sports.

The country’s tourism agency will launch an event on tourcity.or.kr for the public through Dec. 21 to gather ideas to promote the two cities and the county.


Korea to see increase in cruise tour

The Korea Tourism Organization said that a total of 1.05 million tourists are expected to visit Korea via cruise ships by the end of this month.

This is an increase of about 10 percent from 2014. The tourism organization had initially expected the number of cruise tourists to reach less than 950,000 due to the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak which saw inbound cruise tours go down by 26 percent between the months of June and August over the same period last year.

The tourism agency launched promotional shows in Shanghai, China, Busan and Incheon -- major port cities -- promoting cruise tours to Korea in a bid to revive Korean tourism in the aftermath of the MERS epidemic.

It also held events for Japanese and Taiwanese cruise tour operators to further market Korea as a travel destination.

Due to these events, Korea was able to see a rebound in cruise tour in September when some 140,000 tourists visited the country, up 23 percent from a month earlier, it explained.

Next year, the KTO expects to attract some 15 million cruise tourists to the country.


Ride on Korail’s Oriental Express

Korail Tourism Development is launching a package featuring the luxurious “Eastern & Oriental Express,” a train that runs on the 1,943 kilometer-long international railway.

The rail ride will pass through Bangkok, Penang and Singapore, boasting a spectacular view of Southeast Asia.

Trains will be departing on Dec. 25, Jan. 3 and 26 and Feb. 7, 16, and 25.

Visitors will depart from the Incheon International Airport to the Bangkok International Airport, then transfer to the train.

A formal dinner party featuring a live piano performance will take place on the first night aboard.

Visitors will be able to see key Singaporean sights including the Singapore Flyer, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands. The journey will last three days and five nights. The package is priced at 5,847,000 won ($5,100) per person. For inquiries, call (02) 1544-7755 or visit www.korailtravel.com.


Hawaii gears up for Christmas spectaculars

Hawaii Tourism is launching various festivals throughout the islands in December, beginning with the “Honolulu City Lights” Christmas event on Dec. 5 in Oahu.

The annual Honolulu City Lights marks the 31st anniversary this year, and visitors will be able to see large decorated Christmas trees and Santa Claus sculptures.

There will also be an exhibition featuring a variety of Christmas trees during this event.

Also, the 18th annual Lighting of the Banyan Tree will be held on Maui on Dec. 5-6. Some 6,500 lights will be decorated on banyan trees.

Following these two annual festivals, Kona will launch the 31st Christmas Parade on Dec. 10. For more information, visit www.gohawaii.com/kr.


Plan ahead and get discounts

Expedia, a global online travel agency, will offer year-end discounts of up to 60 percent on hotel reservations and stays.

It is holding the ”Big Year-End Sales” event until the end of this month in partnership with over 600 hotels in Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, China and Japan, as well as in the U.S., New Zealand and Australia.

The offer includes hotels in Taiwan and Singapore, countries that were chosen among the world’s top 10 safest countries by Numbeo, a crowd-sourced database that features statistics of regional consumer prices, crime rates and quality of life.

Those who are planning their winter trips to the warm regions can take advantage of discounts that will be available until the end of January 2016.

Some hotels, including the Camellia 4 Hanoi Hotel in Vietnam and the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, will offer discounts of more than 60 percent.

Hanoi Serendipity Hotel in Vietnam and Jasmine Grande Residence in Bangkok, Thailand, will offer more than 70-percent discounts, Expedia said.

For more information, visit www.expedia.co.kr/2015wintersale.

(hkp@heraldcorp.com)