Campaign will promote domestic travel in full swing

By Lee Hyo-sik

Staff reporter

To provide an alternative to the growing popularity of overseas travel and financially help local leisure and other services providers, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and 11 other state-run institutions have launched a joint campaign to promote domestic travel.

Their move comes as a record number of Koreans are expected to head overseas during the upcoming summer vacation on the back of improving economic conditions and the strengthening of the Korean won against the dollar and other foreign currencies.

In cooperation with the KTO, each organization will operate various tour programs and provide travelers a wealth of entertainment content.

Under the main theme of “green tourism,” the programs will allow travelers to experience nature through an eco-friendly tour at national parks and a train ride in rural areas. Tour participants will also be able to spend the day and night at a campsite in the middle of a forest, and engage in diverse agricultural and fisheries activities.

For instance, the Ministry of Environment and the Korea National Park Service are campaigning hard to promote ecotourism at the country’s national parks. The Korea Forestry Service offers visitors a stay at a forest lodge to enjoy healing and other health benefits of the forest.

Additionally, the Korea Marine Environment Management Corp.

is organizing a tour program for tourists seeking to learn about the ecosystems of wetlands and experience the life of residents depending on them, while Korail, Korea’s railway operator, is offering discounted tickets to encourage vacationers to visit tourist destinations by train, rather than by an automobile or plane.

Meanwhile, as part of its 2010 summer campaign, the KTO is organizing a class for those who plan to spend their summer vacation at camping sites. From June through November, the class will be held at the KTO headquarters from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on every fourth Saturday of each month.

It is also organizing a “green camping relay” twice a month from July through October, providing opportunities to those who want to go camping. It will hold the event on Ulleung Island first and then other popular sites across the nation.

“To encourage locals to travel domestically, spending money here rather than abroad, we have and will organize a number of tour programs. We will do our best to promote domestic travel and hopefully revitalize the regional economy,” KTO manager Lee Sang-ki said.