The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization on Feb. 14 said they will run from Feb. 20 to March 31 the campaign "Travel Month March" to stimulate domestic tourism. Shown are tourists at Seomjingang Train Village in Gokseong-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province. (Gokseong-gun Office)
By Choi Jin-woo
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization on Feb. 14 announced their joint running of the campaign "Travel Month March" from Feb. 20 to March 31 to stimulate domestic tourism.
The program offers discounts, tour courses and events by the central and local governments and tourism companies to promote tourism outside of the Seoul metropolitan area. The event will be expanded from once a year in June to twice in March and June to fuel domestic consumption.
Next month, the event will provide big discounts on transportation, accommodations and travel products focused on regions outside of the Greater Seoul region under the slogan "March: Rediscover Hidden Local Gems."
In transportation, the Korea Railroad Corp. will offer up to a 50% discount on seats of its five lines including the high-speed KTX. Also available are discounts on tickets for four domestic flights arriving at provincial airports and car rentals. The car rental and rail discounts start on March 1, but reservations begin earlier on Feb. 20.
For accommodations, 110,000 vouchers from Feb. 27 to March 31 will be distributed. Each will be worth KRW 30,000 off a reservation worth over KRW 50,000 outside of the capital region.
Among travel products, the day trip event "Monthly Travel Tracks in March" for around 1,700 tourists will feature 21 small towns nationwide accessible by train.
"Destinations in March" is a program to experience one-day trips by train, visiting emerging attractions, traditional culture, provincial specialties and traditional markets. The program will have 23 courses that each covers transportation, meals and admission to attractions within KRW 30,000.
Details on items like main benefits, how to participate and event schedules are available on the official website (in Korean): https://korean.visitkorea.or.kr/travelmonth. All discounts and benefits will end when their related budgets run out.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon said in a news release, "With rich benefits and programs designed to unveil regional beauty, we aim to make domestic travel more accessible for everyone. We hope you will rediscover the hidden gems of every corner of Korea this 'Travel Month March.'"
paramt@korea.kr
