Although primarily a business destination for the UK, several tailor-made operators are now putting South Korea on the tourist map, promoting the country’s scenic national parks and ancient temples.
Asian Journeys has introduced a seven-page dedicated South Korea brochure following an educational trip to the country with the Korea National Tourism Organisation last autumn.
The Northampton-based specialist operator offers four suggested itineraries, starting in the bustling capital Seoul and covering the length of the peninsula. Each tour includes the services of a guide and driver, and is intended for independent travellers – either couples or small groups.
“Korea is not on the tourist map at the moment, which means it is not commercialised. It has beautiful temples, fantastic mountains and stunning national parks. We see it as a four to ten-night add-on to Japan or Hong Kong, rather than a 14-night standalone destination,” said Asian Journeys China and Korea specialist Stuart Challis.
A seven-day Images of Korea tour takes in the capital Seoul, the temples and tombs of the seventh century capital Kyongju and the tropical island of Chejudo, with its tangerine groves and thatched cottages.
Prices start at around £800, including three and four-star accommodation, most meals, internal flights and a car with driver and guide. Return flights from the UK are not included, prices start at £399 excluding taxes, with Korean Air, the only carrier offering a nonstop service.
The company can also offer excursions to lesser-known areas of the country such as Soraksan National Park, a region popular with the domestic market for hiking and outdoor activities.
A tour can also include the De-Militarised Zone, where the armies of the South and North dug in at the end of the Korean War in 1953, and which now makes up the border between North and South Korea.
“We want to encourage clients to go beyond the main sites of Seoul and Kyongju as we feel they are equally interesting and show another side of the country,” said Challis.
A second tailor-made operator which went on the KNTOeducational last year is now planning to run fixed departures this spring. London-based KR Tours business development manager Mike Harris said: “We’re certainly taking a more proactive approach to selling Korea after the educational.
“The stunning scenery knocked me for six – especially the temples of Kyongju, set in gorgeous countryside. We’ll be putting together some group departures for late spring.”
A nine-day tour of the country visiting Seoul and Kyongju leads in at £990, including flights, accommodation, transfers and sightseeing. For a group of 20, the price would come down to below £900. KR Tours works with a small group of independent agents and offers 10% commission.
To help independent agents get to know the country better, the KNTO is staging an evening event on March 14 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
Around 100 attendees will view a presentation on tourism to the country, touching on the themes of Visit Korea year 2001 and the 2002 World Cup, when South Korea and Japan co-host football’s most important tournament.