Seoul, Jeju popular activity venues for foreigners

By Kang Seung-woo

Jeju Island as well as Seoul is gaining traction among travelers to Korea as the nation's best places for activities, according to a global travel search engine, Thursday, as more people visit holiday destinations offering various activities.

This is according to Trip.com's analysis of purchases at its site for local activities by foreigners visiting Korea from January to August this year.

The list of the top 10 activities included four in the capital and also as many on the southern resort island. One activity each for Busan and Gyeonggi Province rounded out the list.

A trip to N Seoul Tower was the most sought-after activity in Korea among foreigners. Built in 1969, it is the first tower-type tourism spot in Korea, emerging as a key landmark that provides a bird's-eye view of the city. The tower is 480 meters above sea level, standing atop the 262-meter-high Mount Nam.

Everland, the nation's largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and “Nanta,” a non-verbal performance featuring acrobatic cooks that plays at the Myeongdong Nanta Theatre, were the second- and third-most popular activities.

Activities available on Jeju Island were ranked from fourth to sixth.

No. 4 is the Eco Land Theme Park that is built in the Gotjawal Primeval Forest where visitors can experience the 1 square-kilometer jungle on a train that looks like an 1800s' steam-powered Baldwin locomotive. While on the 4.5-kilometer-long train tour that features five differently themed stations, they can see a variety of plants, animals, and insects living in the mysterious forest. It also has a lake for visitors to experience the ecosystem of the forest, take a walk and enjoy a picnic.

No. 5 is Teddy Bear Museum in Jungmun Tourism Complex, which is a museum dedicated to teddy bears that opened in April 2001. Although many teddy bear museums can be found worldwide, the one on Jeju is one of the few that boast a unique collection under various themes to entertain its visitors.

“Nanta” can also be enjoyed on the island, with a theater exclusively for the show opening in 2008; and foreign travelers love to watch it there.

Watching “The Painters: Hero,” an innovative non-verbal performance that fuses live drawing with mime, dance and comedy is also a must-do in Korea, sitting at seventh. The audience can enjoy a play, an art show and a musical in a single performance that sees about 10 art pieces created live on stage. The perennial event is available at Seoul Theater.

Foreigners also liked seeing underwater creatures in Korea as three aquaria ― Sea Life Busan Aquarium, Coex Aquarium and Aqua Planet Jeju ― were included in the top 10 in sequence.

“Recently, activities play an important role in deciding travel destinations,” a Trip.com official said.