FEATURE KOREA
From The Front Line
MELISSA TILLING FUNWAY HOLIDAYS “Although not generally a place for first-time travellers to the Far East, Korea’s great
strength is that it offers a different, refreshing and exotic add-on to better known destinations like Thailand and Malaysia. Our link with Asiana Airlines means we can offer a Korea/Kota Kinabalu combination. Lack of awareness is still the major obstacle to selling Korea and clients who ask for it are usually those who have researched it. We offer an advantage in contracting direct, have produced a dedicated Korea brochure and are the only operator to fully feature the destination in our main brochure.”
AMRIT SINGH TRANSINDUS
“Korea is not yet such a big seller for us because many clients still just don’t know
about it. The tourist office is right in aligning the country with Japan because the two destinations combine well together, and that’s how Korea is becoming better known.
DAVID HIGGINS SPORT ABROAD
“Formula One is definitely helping to put Korea on the international events
map. The area around the track at Moopka is specifically geared to sporting events and, in addition to our FI package this year (see Where to Book It), we are already looking at ways to combine other events in the region with next year’s race."
centre touring in the region. In addition
to being the closest Far East city to the UK in flying hours, hip and modern Seoul offers excellent hotels, shopping and eating along with bustling markets and enchanting palaces and temples. Elsewhere, the country combines
5,000 years of history and a number of World Heritage Sites with a dynamic modern outlook; mixing ancient dynasties and curious oriental rituals with dedicated holiday islands, sparkling mountain ranges, hot springs, health and ski resorts. Blessed with four distinct seasons,
Korea boasts a year-round calendar of festivals celebrating everything from gods to ginseng. As with the introduction of FI, the country is also host to a growing number of international events as well as rapidly developing special activity or niche holiday sectors including martial arts, Buddhist temple stays and bird-watching.
WHAT’S NEW The £140m, 3.4-mile FI circuit in the formerly remote Yeong’nam area, 240 miles south of Seoul, forms part of an integrated new fly-in sports and leisure development with an airport, hotels, theme parks, casinos and marinas. Several UK operators are now offering
some of Korea’s many festivals, including the Mud Festival and the Kimchi Festival, celebrating the country’s famous and pungent pickled cabbage.
TOUR I SM TALK MICHAEL MICHAELS OFFICE MARKETING MANAGER, KNTO “Alongside dual marketing with Japan, Korea has embarked on a number of projects to help build
awareness of the country as a standalone destination in conjunction with stopover,
twin and niche tour planning. Increased trade and consumer events highlighting unique festivals and attractions are helping to lift UK arrivals to more than 80,000 this year. “In addition to recently updating our
Travel Uni training programme, this summer we also launched the Korea Tourism Supporters Network (KTSN), platform for exchanging views on the country and how it can best be sold to clients. See
london@gokorea.co.uk.”
WHE R E TO BOOK IT FUNWAY
0844 557 3131
www.funway.co.uk A Seoul city break starts from £699pp, including return flights and four nights at The Hamilton Hotel. Add-on rail tours from Seoul, with guide and sightseeing, include two days/one night to Gyeongju, from £299, and three days/two nights to Busan from £469.
TRANSINDUS
020 8566 2729
www.transindus.co.uk
Seoul's modern skyline
The South Korean Explorer – 12 days ex-UK to Seoul, DMZ, Mt. Seorak, Andong and Gyeongjun – is priced from £3,000. A 15-day Korea and Japan combination, including three nights in Gyeongju, four in Seoul (+DMZ), three nights each in Tokyo (+Hakone) and Kyoto, costs from £3,500.
SPORTABROAD
0845 680 3086
www.sportabroad.co.uk Tickets to the 2010 Korea Grand Prix next month plus four nights’ accommodation (four-star equivalent) with B&B and 24-hour English-speaking guide starts from about £1,000pp, inclusive of internal air transfers from Seoul.
COX & KINGS Up close and personal with Jonathan Hart
“I always thought gentlemen of a certain age or size should stick to golf. Yet here I am in an ancient temple courtyard, leaping like a tiger, screaming like
a banshee and smashing planks of wood with my toes. Barely an hour after a series of bone-creaking, arm-twisting exercises, I am said to be in the mental zone and mastering the rudiments of real taekwondo. Learning martial arts is one of the many speciality add-ons available from ground operators in Seoul, ranging from cooking courses to meditation sessions – together providing an enticing addition, or alternative, to the more
54 September 2010 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com regular pursuits of shopping, eating and sightseeing.”
020 7873 5010
www.coxandkings.co.uk Optional five-day Korea extensions to the Japan Cultural Treasures tour start from £1,695pp with private transfers and a guide. New for 2011, the 14-day Japan/Korea private journey starts from £4,395pp, combining Tokyo and Kyoto with Seoul, Songnisan, Gyeongju and Busan.
WHO F LIE S THERE Korean Air (
www.koreanair.com), with new in-flight cabins and advanced entertainment systems, flies daily non- stop from Heathrow to Seoul. Asiana Airlines (
www.asiana.com) flies five times a week from Heathrow to Seoul. Connections from the UK via their own gateways are offered by Finnair (www.
finnair.com) Emirates (www.emiratair. com), Air France (
www.airfrance.com), Lufthansa (
www.lufthansa.co.uk) and KLM (
www.klm.com) •
KTO
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