By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

A harsh review of Seoul from Lonely Planet, the world's largest travel guide book and digital media publisher, has drawn mixed reactions here.

Recently, the travel book's Web site posted a list of the world's nine ``least favorite destinations,'' and Seoul was rated third on the list, after Detroit in the U.S. and Ghana's Accra.

The Web site describes Seoul as ``an appallingly repetitive sprawl of freeways and Soviet-style concrete apartment buildings, horribly polluted, with no heart or spirit to it.''

Officials are casting doubt on the basis and criterion of the selection.

According to a recent BBC report, the list was based on comments from netizens and travelers.

A Seoul City spokesman said Wednesday that the list was compiled from a total of 42 comments to the question ``What are your least favorite cities?'' posted on the Lonely Planet Web site.

Seoul's position is that the survey is biased and groundless, as only two of the 42 comments were related to Seoul. The criterion, number of respondents and the exact margin of error of the survey have not been disclosed.

``We believe that the list was initiated as a tool to generate a buzz and controversy,'' said Cho Won-joon, an official in charge of tourism promotion with the Seoul city administration. ``Foreign tourists are increasingly satisfied with their stay in Seoul,'' Cho said.

In 2007, around 79 percent of inbound tourists said they were satisfied with their visit to Seoul, and the figure reached almost 85 percent in 2009, according to the latest survey by the metropolitan government.

Authorities said that Seoul's constant publicity campaigns have been met with positive reactions from its residents. In a survey conducted July 2007, 82 percent of 1,000 respondents were satisfied with the city's overseas marketing drives.

However, such a domestic reaction is a departure from some overseas reports, which have been critical of Seoul's ``brand marketing'' initiatives for lack of uniqueness, especially in comparison to tourism capitals such as New York, Paris and London.

While authorities were quick to issue rebuttals, urban planners and some citizens say that Lonely Planet's comments reflect an objective and realistic view of Seoul.

It is, after all, one of the most densely populated cities among those in the 30 OECD countries, with severe pollution, and transportation and housing issues.

The view of some of Seoul's traditional landmarks has been overshadowed by the overwhelming sprawl of apartment buildings to accommodate the overflowing population.

This is not the first time Seoul has had to deal with negative travel information from Lonely Planet.

In an effort to correct inaccurate information on Seoul contained in Lonely Planet travel guides published in 2008, Seoul established a task force, comprised of native English speakers and professional travelers, and produced 260 pages of English text and 151 photos for publication. In 2009, Lonely Planet reflected these materials in revised editions.

Meanwhile, the World Tourism Organization Global Code of Ethics stipulates that the ``press and particularly the specialized travel press and the other media, including modern means of electronic communication, should issue honest and balanced information on events and situations that could influence the flow of tourists.''

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr