Thursday, October 16, 2008

Korea Sparkling . . . in Shanghai!

I was so excited to find this Korea tourism office right around the corner from my hotel in Shanghai, China last week. Unfortunately, the office wasn't open when I walked by, but it was great to find a little taste of "home" during my trip.

This week Korea announced 2010-2012 are "Visit Korea" years. The tourism promotion campaign is the third of its kind and seeks to bring 10 million tourists and $10 billion in tourism money to Korea annually by 2012. The campaign committee has plans for more on-site promotion projects in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. More offices like this could be popping up in a neighborhood near you!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Abby,

I really like you're blog and the way you wright about Korea! Actually me and my sister are planning a trip to Korea, Seoul for summervacation (around july 2009). Because this is our first trip to Korea and we're pretty young (18 and 19), we worry a bit about safety in Seoul. I haven't heard or read anything bad about the safety, but I would like to check it with you. Well you live in Seoul so you probably know best. So what do you think is it okay for us to visit 'Great Seoul' with just the two of us?

PS. We're mastering the language step by step =)!
Anyoung,
Breshna

Abby Rhodes said...

Hi, Breshna,

First of all, thanks for reading my blog. I'm glad some of my insights about Korea have been helpful and entertaining for you.

Regarding safety in South Korea, I'm no expert, but I can tell you that I feel very, very safe living here. I think everyone should exercise a healthy level of caution when living in or visiting a large city, but Seoul is probably safer than most. I have never felt threatened or intimidated in Seoul at any time of the day (and that includes the wee hours of the morning!).

The city is alive around the clock, so just having people around all the time makes one feel more secure. I think as long as you use common sense and stay aware of your surroundings, you'll be just fine. Learning the Korean language will be very helpful for you. Although anyone who speaks English can easily manage Seoul, it definitely helps to be able to speak a little Korean.

Thanks for writing!

Abby

Anonymous said...

Abby,

I was searching for info and tickets for Korea. We have been housing a Korean HS student and have been invited to come to meet her family. We would love to go but $1200 a ticket is over our heads. In regards to the promotions in Korea are there tickets available at good rates. Thanks for any info you can give.

Abby Rhodes said...

PuppetQueen,

In my experience, booking tickets from U.S. sites like Orbitz or SideStep is always cheaper than using Korean agents. I don't know what your departure city is, but flights to Seoul from the Midwest rarely drop below $900. Actually, $1200 is relatively standard.

Let me know if there's any other way I can help!

Abby