KUALA LUMPUR: Gyeongsangbuk-do, a treasure trove of Korean culture (K-Culture), extends its welcoming arms with its participation in the recent three-day MATTA Fair held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre here, last weekend.
Gyeongsangbuk-do, the largest province in South Korea and home to a city known as the museum without walls, is a must-visit destination for Malaysian xenophiles interested in experiencing authentic K-Culture and for K-Drama (Korean Drama) lovers.
Hailed as Korea in Korea and featured in famous K-dramas such as ‘Kingdom’, ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’, ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ and ‘Alchemy of Souls’, the province, just two-hour from Seoul via train ride is where tradition and modernity are harmonised.
Welcoming Malaysians to visit the province, Gyeongsangbuk-do Tourism Marketing director Bae Jin-Tae expressed his confidence that the province could cater to the latest preferred tourism concepts such as healing, wellness and ‘workation’, which are gaining more popularity after the Covid-19 outbreak.
“From group tours to FIT (Free Independent Travelers) tours or from low-cost tours to luxury tours, the tourism industry is changing to meet the needs of customers in the future,” he told Bernama.
Located in the southeast of Korea, Gyeongsangbuk-do boasts 22 tourist cities, including Gyeongju.
Gyeongju is a UNESCO heritage city and was once the capital of the Silla Kingdom, which ruled for almost 1,000 years. It is also known as the Museum Without Walls due to its well-preserved historical sites.
The region is also home to Andong City, another UNESCO cultural heritage city, and is known as the ‘most Korean town in Korea’, visited by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew in 1999. It also includes Pohang, a famous filming location for K-Dramas, and a city of marine leisure.
Jin-Tae said the province offers seasonal tours with four different themes, namely the Spring-Feast of Flowers, Summer-Healing Vacation, Autumn-Colourful Activities and Winter-Sensitive Wellness Travel, as well as the Pohang International Light Festival, Bonghwa Sweetfish Festival and Cheongsong Apple Festival.
“Korea’s representative festivals, such as the Mungyeong Chasabal Festival and the Andong International Mask Dance Festival, are held throughout the year, and many domestic and foreign tourists participate and enjoy the festival together.
“We are welcoming global friends who visit tourist destinations around the world. See and feel them, and meet and communicate with each other through tourism. Gyeongsangbuk-do Korea is ready to be friends with you. Please come to Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea,” he said.
On May 27, Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo attended and hosted a tourism promotional briefing event here in Malaysia.
The event was attended by 150 representatives from the Malaysian tourism industry and related organisations.
During the event, Gyeongsangbuk-do and the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) signed a memorandum of understanding to promote Gyeongsangbuk-do as the next destination for Malaysians. – BERNAMA
