Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Seoul's tourism costs are 6th highest among 11 Asian cities
By Kim Rahn
Seoul is the sixth most expensive for tourists among 11 major cities in Asia, data showed Sunday.
According to Expedia, the worldwide online travel booking website, visitors to Seoul spend an average of 333,000 won ($280) a day as of September.
This is almost half that of Tokyo at 675,304 won which topped the survey, but is nearly two-and-a-half times higher than that of Hanoi at 134,561 won, the cheapest among the surveyed cities.
The 11 cities were Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hanoi and Cebu.
The spending included hotel rates for a day at a five-star hotel, taxi fares, three meals and two glasses of beer.
Tokyo has the highest prices for all factors except beer. The hotel rate there is fivefold that of Kuala Lumpur. Singapore recorded the highest price for beer at 6,519 won per glass.
After Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur was fairly cheap at 140,379 won, along with Bangkok at 150,091 won and Taipei, 266,953 won.
The average tourist expenses of the cities in Southeast Asia -- Singapore, Bangkok, Cebu, Bali, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur -- was 253,156 won, much lower compared with the other cities’ average of 415,185 won.