KOREAN NET

The awards ceremony for this year's "Korea Tourism Stars" at Lotte Hotel in Seoul's Jung-gu District on Dec. 18 picked Suwon Hwaseong (Fortress) and Haenggung-dong (Neighborhood) as "tourist attraction of the year." (Photo Korea photographer Lee Hyun-woo)

By Lee Dasom

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization on Dec. 18 held the awards ceremony for this year's "Korea Tourism Stars" at Lotte Hotel in Seoul's Jung-gu District.

Marking its 14th anniversary, the honors recognize tourism resources and groups that have helped advance domestic tourism over the past year through recommendations, screenings and reviews from the public, local governments and experts. This year, 11 awards were given in nine categories.

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and Haenggung-dong were named "tourist attraction of the year." Haenggung-dong, a neighborhood in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province, is home to the fortress, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site with unique alleys with cafes and souvenir stores. Both sites are prime examples of the coexistence of traditional beauty and modernity.

Kansong Art Museum Daegu won the honor of "new tourist attraction," offering programs such as tours featuring architecture, an art gallery and concerts. Siheung Gaetgol Eco Park in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do, was named the top "open tourist attraction" for its barrier-free setup featuring convenience facilities for people with mobility issues.

To reflect new tourism trends, five content fields were added this year: convergence and complex tourism, regional growth promotion, eco-friendly tourism, shared growth and tourism innovation.

Haenyeo's Kitchen in Jeju Island and Maenggae Village in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province were tops in convergence and complex tourism: Ganghwa Cooperative Cheongpung (Ganghwa-gun County, Incheon) and the Donghae Culture and Tourism Foundation (Donghae, Gangwon-do Province) in regional growth promotion; Cheongsando Island (Wando-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province) in eco-friendly tourism; Seongsim Bakery of Daejeon in shared growth content; and the fintech company Orange Square in tourism innovation for its Wow Pass.

Wowpass is a prepaid card exclusively for foreign visitors with payment, foreign exchange and transportation card functions. It supports 15 global currencies and offers convenience for foreign tourists through features such as splitting the check.

In addition, the top honor in media promoting Korean tourism went to "EBS Korea Travel," a leading show of Educational Broadcasting System that introduces the country's beautiful scenery, history, culture and food.

"The tourism industry has recently seen a difficult situation, but the ministry will communicate more closely with the industry and do all it can to minimize the impact on the domestic tourism market," Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon said. "We will be dedicated to making the Republic of Korea a global tourism power again."

Haenyeo's Kitchen won the "fusion and complex tourism content" award of this year's "Korean Tourism Stars." This theater-style restaurant combines the culture of haenyeo, or female divers on Jeju Island, food made from Jeju specialties and theater to commercialize the island's lifestyle and cultural resources. (Haenyeo's Kitchen official Instagram account)

dlektha0319@korea.kr