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More Korean tourists shunning Japan for Taiwan

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The Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan. Wikipedia
The Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan. Wikipedia

By Ko Dong-hwan

With Seoul-Tokyo relations being tested following disputes over Japan's export restrictions on Korea and Seoul's responsive signing out from the bilateral military information security agreement, an increasing number of Korean tourists are shunning their neighbor.

Instead, Koreans are choosing other countries in close proximity, with Southeast Asian and Chinese-speaking states leading the way.

Among their top choices is Taiwan, which is just under a two-jour flight from Incheon, Korea's main gateway for air travelers.

Recent online surveys show Taiwan is among top destinations for Koreans.

According to Digital Chosun Ilbo on Aug. 29, Taipei was selected by most users of Korean hotel accommodation reservation platform Agoda as the overseas destination for Chuseok ― Korean Thanksgiving Day ― in September. The Taiwanese capital was followed by Thailand's Bangkok and Japan's Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo.

In another survey by job-seeking website Saramin on Aug. 28, about 20 percent of more than 2,500 Korean office workers responded that they would travel to Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macao for the holiday. Only 8 percent chose Japan ― a sharp drop from 35 percent from the same survey one year ago.

Compared to 2018, Korean tourists' demand for Japan between July and August was down 72 percent, while Taiwan, benefiting from the Korea-Japan conflicts, rose 7 percent, according to Korean research agency Consumer Insight.

'Queen's Head' at Yehliu Geopark in New Taipei's Wanli District. YouTube
'Queen's Head' at Yehliu Geopark in New Taipei's Wanli District. YouTube

Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan's main gateway, and the country's 16 other airports in 2018 handled more than 68.9 million incoming and outgoing passengers from 149 cities around the world via 92 airlines, according to the Taipei Flight Information Region.

With the high-density routes and being one of the key stops in Asia, the country has been trying to re-join the International Civil Aviation Organization, from which it was excluded following its withdrawal from the United Nations in 1971.

The country's north-south regions are also connected by Taiwan High Speed Rail, linking the capital to major cities like Tainan and Kaohsiung.

In its efforts to publicize its tourist attractions, the country's foreign affairs ministry invited journalists from international publications to visit key destinations. The Korea Times was also there. Here are some of the locations.

The Grand Hotel

First-timers to the country's first five-star hotel built in 1952 will be initially unsure about its aggressive red exterior and traditional architecture that fails to assimilate into its surroundings even from distance. The uneasiness, however, turns into wonder once inside the mega-structure that has preserved classic interior elements like cylindrical columns, open parapets, giant staircases in the main lobby, and Oriental furnishings in each suite.

With 500 guest rooms on 14 floors, the palace-like Taipei hotel also has an underground concrete tunnel for emergency evacuation. Situated uphill amid mountainous trails, its flat facade offers unhampered city views of the skyscraping Taipei 101, highways and endless low-rises, making visitors feel they are crisscrossing between past and present.

A boat takes passengers through Sicao Mangrove Reserve in Tainan's Annan District. Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
A boat takes passengers through Sicao Mangrove Reserve in Tainan's Annan District. Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

National Palace Museum

The museum is a witness to the history of Taiwan, China and the people who had lived there. About 700,000 exhibited articles, from imperial artifacts to down-to-earth objects from the lives of ordinary people, were too much to digest in the allotted time of less than an hour or so. A tour guide had to raise her voice when giving audio explanations because of the noise from the crowd. At the main entrance a digital sign showed the number of admitted visitors ― while patrons were waiting in a long queue to get in. The figures aim to show how well the museum is doing.

Yehliu Geopark

A night stroll in a downpour may not be the perfect way to experience the rocky wonders of the ocean coasts of Yehliu Geopark in New Taipei's Wanli District. Watching sedimentary rocks naturally chiseled and sandpapered in cool shapes under colorful lights and orchestra music, however, is something you cannot easily forget.

A guided tour is enlightening in learning how Taiwanese ancestors gave each geological feature a name based on traditional folktales and beliefs ― "Queen's Head," "Sea Candles" and "Kissing Rock." A guidebook describes the place as "a bit remote but well worth the effort to visit." That's doubly true if you have a whole day to yourself and some money for kosher seafood meals at restaurants in front of the entrance.

Qigu Salt Mountain in Tainan's Qigu District. Flickr
Qigu Salt Mountain in Tainan's Qigu District. Flickr

Sicao Mangrove Reserve, Black-faced Spoonbill Ecology Exhibition Hall

A visit to the two sites in Tainan's rural region shows how the country works to preserve natural habitats and species. Take a boat ride through Zhufagang Canal with mangrove trees and crabs on either side that have survived hundreds of years. It is an extreme outdoor experience ― tourists who are not careful can easily clash with a web of low-lying tree branches. When visiting the man-made habitat for migratory birds, luck is required because one can wind up seeing no birds at all in the swamps. On a bright sunny afternoon, the forlorn habitat amid the stretching paddies and fields offers a breathtaking view toward coastal Qigu District.

Qigu Salt Mountain

This towering heap of salt processed from the site's salt farm would not be noticeable from a distance if it were not for a giant owl head statue on its peak. (The statue occasionally gets replaced with other forms of animal or bird) The mountain is at the center of a small amusement park where visitors can ride a sightseeing around the venue and check how the salt is made. Several water pump pedals invite curious visitors to experience the salt making by turning the pedals that draw sea water via underground troughs. The site also makes signature popsicles containing the salt. Occasional downpours can melt part of the mountain but the management replenishes it with fresh salt.


Ko Dong-hwan aoshima11@koreatimes.co.kr


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