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| Discover Seoul Pass, a one-day city tour card for foreign tourists, is available from today. It can also be used on public transport. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
By Kim Se-jeong
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is introducing a daily city tour pass for foreign tourists today, in an effort to attract more tourists to the capital.
According to the city government, Thursday, a tourist can access 16 major tourist attractions around the city with the Discover Seoul Pass. The all-inclusive pass costs 39,000 won, and holders can charge the card with more money to use it for public transport as well.
The one-day pass is valid for 24 hours following its first use at an attraction. When expired, it may still be used as a transportation card.
The 16 destinations include: Gyeongbok Palace, Changgyeong Palace, Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace, Jongmyo Shrine, Seodaemun Prison History Hall, Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Museum Kimchikan, N Seoul Tower, MBC World, hologram concert hall K-live, the Trick Eye Museum, Grevin Seoul wax museum, Alive Museum featuring entertainment using optical illusions and Figure Museum W.
The destinations were selected through big data analysis from TripAdvisor, the global travel review website, according to a city official. "It is an exceptionally good deal," said the official. "If visited individually, the total admissions cost would amount to 152,000 won."
The passes will be sold at CU convenience stores and KEB-Hana Bank branches within Incheon International Airport. They can also be purchased at Myeongdong Tourist Information Center and City Tour Bus ticket offices at Gwanghwamun and Dongdaemun Design Plaza in downtown Seoul. The city said more shops will join the list, and online reservation is also possible through visitseoul.net.
The city has also released the Discover Seoul Pass mobile phone application to provide more details about the pass and the 16 destinations. The app ― available in Korean, English, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese and Japanese ― can be downloaded from the Google store. iPhone users will be able to download the app by mid-August. Search for "Discover Seoul Pass."
"We are open to expanding the project, such as expanding the number of attractions and issuing two-day passes," the city official said.
While individual tourists make up 75 percent of the total visitors to Seoul, few benefits are available to them, such as discounts. "We hope the Discover Seoul Pass will enhance the quality of their stays in Seoul, and we want people to come back to the city again and again," the official said.
Last year, 10.4 million tourists visited the city, despite the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak which shocked the country. The majority of visitors were Chinese, accounting for more than 45 percent of the total number of tourists.
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