By Kim Seon Ah
Photos = Kim Seon Ah

Surfing in Yangyang-gun County, Gangwon-do Province; eating seafood in Busan; visiting Jeonju Hanok Village in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province; taking photos at N Seoul (formerly Namsan) Tower in Seoul; viewing rapeseeds on Jeju Island; exploring Incheon's Chinatown; eating peanut ice cream on Udo Island in Jeju-do Province; and seeing cherry blossoms at the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province.

Lovers of travel in Korea have at least one domestic destination on their bucket lists. This year's Korea Travel Expo, which is designed to help complete such lists, was opened on March 28 at 10 a.m. on the first and third floors of the aT Center in Seoul's Seocho-gu District.

As the country's biggest trade show for tourism and marking its 21st edition this year, the expo since its inception in 2004 has attracted a combined 2.14 million visitors. Under the theme "Bucket List for Local Travel in My Country," the latest edition has some 230 booths run by 132 organizations and individuals.

The first thing to catch one's eye at the event is the section Workcation X Specialized Night Tourism City. The neologism "workcation," which combines the words "work" and "vacation," describes a lifestyle of working at a vacation spot like mountains or a beach instead of an office to heal in pristine nature against the backdrop of the Milky Way in the night sky and the sound of waves.

This area promotes workcations in the provinces of Jeollabuk-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gangwon-do.

The concept of a specialized city for night tourism is a staycation-type tourist city for both domestic and international visitors to build a brand based on regional stories. Since 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization have chosen 10 regions through a public competition: Incheon and Tongyeong in Gyeongsangnam-do in 2022; Gangneung in Gangwon-do, Daejeon, Busan, Jeonju in Jeollabuk-do and Jinju in Gyeongsangnam-do last year; and Gongju in Chungcheongnam-do, Seongju-gun County in Gyeongsangbuk-do and Yeosu in Jeollanam-do Yeosu this year.

Emphasizing travel for all, the expo promotes "open tourist destinations" for tourists with diverse needs including those with disabilities, the elderly and families with young children. These spots offer unrestricted mobility and accessibility in tourist activities.

A related section features an extended reality (XR) game of wheelchair racing, placing players in an immersive environment combining the real world with cyberspace.

Another highlight is promotion of destinations using the latest technology. Visitors used augmented reality to try on virtual Hanbok (traditional clothing) against the backdrop of Gwanghanruwon Garden in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do, while others experienced Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, through XR Bus 1795.

"I came to the expo because I like traveling," visitor Oh Jai Keun said, praising the XR bus. "I plan to go to the Seomjin Riverside Cherry Blossom Flower Festival soon."

"I was curious about the special booths for cities specializing in workcation and night tourism, and they were well expressed," Sejong resident Choi Soo Bin said, choosing Jeju as her preferred workcation destination.

To run through March 31, the expo features the country's best tourist destinations and travel product information. Admission is KRW 5,000 after on-site registration.

sofiakim218@korea.kr