By Lee Hyo-sik
Attention, foreign tourists! If you do not know of affordable hotels, popular tourist destinations and appropriate means of transportation, all you need to do is to dial 1330 and talk to professional operators fluent in English, Japanese and Chinese at the ``TT Call Center,’’ which provides 24-hour travel information.
The state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has been operating the call center since 1999, helping millions of foreigners get the most out of their visit to Korea.
The center also offers non-Korean tourists interpretation services when they need to talk to taxi drivers, restaurant employees, and even pedestrians on the street.
It can be reached from any land line in Korea by dialing 1330 without an area code. If calling from a mobile phone, the local area code must be dialed before 1330.
In Seoul, dial 02-1330. If calling from abroad, dial Korea's country code (82), the area code without the zero, and 1330. For instance, the local Jeju branch can be reached at 82-64-1330.
``A total of 18 operators are standing by 24 hours a day at the TT Call Center, ready to assist both Korean and foreign tourists who want to obtain information on tourist sites, means of transportation and other travel-related matters. Not only foreign visitors, but also many local travelers call us for travel information,’’ said Jang Mi-hyang, assistant manager of KTO’s tourism information service team.
The center received a total of 170,000 inquiries in 2010, up sharply from 133,000 the previous year.
Jang said foreign tourists and residents are extremely satisfied with the TT Call Center for its high-quality language services.
``They can call us anytime they need to, before or during the trip. Our operators are fluent in English, Japanese and Chinese. They also have a wealth of information on Korea’s popular tourist destinations and how to get there,’’ Jang said.
She said KTO will continue to to improve the center’s customer service and employ more highly-qualified operators.