Mt. Seorak, Jeju Named Favorite Family Destinations
Mt. Seorak was picked as the most memorable destination for family travel in 2009. Olle in Jeju, a 250 km trekking route of narrow paths in mountains and fields linking villages throughout the island, topped the list as the place most people want to visit.
This was the result of an online straw poll by the Korea Tourism Organization of 600 residents in Seoul and six large cities across the country who had taken family trips from April to October last year.
Asked which they remembered best among places where they spent more than one night in 2009, 5.2 percent of respondents chose Mt. Seorak National Park. It was followed by 2.5 percent for Haeundae Beach in Busan; 2 percent for Mt. Jiri National Park; 1.8 percent for Udo Island in Jeju; and 1.6 percent for Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.
Meanwhile, Haeundae topped the list as the best one-day trip destination at 2.9 percent, followed by Mt. Seorak (1.8 percent) and Nami Islet in Gangwon Province (1.4 percent).
Korean tourists on the whole prefer the sea to the mountains. In terms of destinations where they stayed more than one night, the largest proportion or 35.5 percent of families visited coastal scenic spots, beaches or islands. Next were recreational forests or arboretums (16.4 percent), national, provincial or municipal parks (15.5 percent), waterfalls or valleys (12.3 percent), temples or sacred places (9.8 percent), and hot springs or spas (9.1 percent).
Coastal spots, beaches or islands also topped the list in terms of one-day trips at 25.9 percent.
Most spent W210,000-W300,000 (US$1=W1,124) per trip when they stayed more than one night, while for one-day trips most spent W60,000-W100,000.
Generally, most families traveled 3.1 times a year on average. Young families with elementary schoolchildren or younger traveled 3.5 times a year; newlyweds 3.2 times; middle-aged couples 3.1 times; and families with older parents 2.9 times.