South Korea is introducing new rules to manage overtourism in Seoul's Bukchon Hanok Village. Starting in October, the measures will restrict tourist hours and access to preserve the historic site. The aim is to improve residents' quality of life and protect the village's cultural heritage.
South Korea Protects Bukchon Hanok Village
South Korea is working on protecting one of the treasured destinations in Seoul, the Bukchon Hanok Village. The strict new rules will be imposed starting this October with the prime intention of managing the huge number of visitors it receives daily.
Bukchon Hanok Village, one of the best places to experience traditional Korean houses, or 'hanok,' is located right in the city of Seoul. It attracts millions of visitors and, with these, noise, littering, and congestion present huge problems.
South Korea will introduce areas with different levels of access restriction in the village in a bid to keep such problems at bay.
Tourist access to the most restricted zone, the Red Zone, shall be closed at night from 5 pm to 10 am to provide some peace for the residential area.
The Orange and Yellow Zones will tolerate the presence of a greater intensity but will not lag behind in measures against the control of tourist flow and reducing disturbances.
Other new measures will be initiated to restrict vehicular traffic. The village will subsequently be out of bounds to tourist buses, which now drop their passengers at designated points outside the area of the key parts of the village.
This move will reduce the traffic and make Bukchon more pedestrian-friendly.
Local authorities in Seoul hope such measures would balance the receipt of revenue from tourism and conserve this unique cultural and historical nature.
Introducing fines for infringements is also part of the plan to ensure the new regulations are taken seriously and that Bukchon remains serene and beautiful for visitors and residents.
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Discover Korean Food Favorites
South Korea is about to start a new campaign, "Taste Your Korea," touting its vast food culture as one of the top destinations for food enthusiasts.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced 33 representative dishes, ingredients, and traditional liquors in cooperation with the Korea Tourism Organization in a bid to complete the definition of Korean cuisine.
The regional specialties, such as Busan's "dwaeji gukbap" and Suwon's "wanggalbi," constitute the largest component. Seasonal ingredients like Tongyeong oysters and classic beverages such as Andong soju were used to make a long, eclectic list of flavors that would really touch every part of South Korea.
This new food brand promotes visitors more generally and improves the food tourism experience in South Korea. The slogan encourages tourists to realize the diversity of flavors in this country, moving beyond just the need to taste the food to different experiences that go with it.
It will also focus on integrating these culinary features into larger tourist products. It is an experiential journey that completes the palate and enhances the totality of the traveling experience in South Korea.
Through this, South Korea is eyeing to boost its global profile as a leading food destination while benefitting the locale through increased tourism.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
