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Brought to you by Korea Tourism Organisation
More travelers are demanding on something experiential, an authentic local experience, it is about discovering the local culture and foods, experience something new and possibly unique and bring home not just pictures but an inspiration and even aspiration for others. It is the “travel with purpose” era now.
Be it leisure or MICE, the awareness and concerns of environmental issues are growing globally. More individuals and corporations are keen to evoke a sense of sustainability and responsibility in their activity choices.
Food experience contributes to travel satisfaction. Food tourism does not limit to only eating. Experiences such as visiting vegetable farms or produce markets, tasting sessions or harvesting fun, are in trend.
More business events and incentive programs are incorporating light wellness activities such as group yoga, hiking in the wild or group cycling along river banks or outskirt areas, that help to encourage participants to feel relax and re-charge after the trips.
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Refreshing Ways For MICE Visitors To Eat, Play And Explore Around Korea Through Culture
Traditional Folk Village Fun
Travel in time to the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. Get into the mood by putting on hanbok as a group, stroll along the ancient-like alleys lined up with beautiful hanok. Group members may pose for Instagram-worthy photos, sipping traditional teas or cakes at the traditional tea houses or to complete mission-based games within a designated time.
At folk villages, group members can try their hands on traditional crafts and games, enjoy group lunch or dinner with hearty local dishes like jeon (pancakes), bibimbap with makgeolli at the traditional restaurants in the folk village. The traditional farmer dance or samulnori percussion performance will definitely help to elevate the mood to the highest.
Some recommendations are:
Hanok Villages (Seoul)
- Bukchon Hanok Village (37, Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul)
- Seochon Hanok Village (Cheongunhyoja-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul)
- Jeonju Hanok Village ( 99 Girin-daero, Pungnam-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, Korea)
Folk Villages
- Korea Folk Village (90 Minsokchon-ro, Bora-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea)
- Jeju Folk Village ( 631-34 Minsokhaean-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju-do, Korea)
- Seongup Folk Village (104 Seongeupjeonguihyeon-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, Korea)
Marketplace Missions
Exploring a traditional Korean market has always been a good way to discover the everyday needs and specialties of the locals and their cultures. It will be more fun if the organizers add in specific goals the group members can achieve together.
Organizer may “ramping up the game’s difficulty level” by awarding additional meal allowances or shopping moneys to the darers to pick up some “fear-factor” challenges like eating unique food items like the sannakji (live octopus) or hong-eo (fermented skate fish).
Some recommendations are:
- Namedaemun Market (49, Namchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul)
- Gwangjang Market (88, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul )
- Seomun Market (115-378, Daesin-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu)
- Gukjae Market (Sinchang-dong 4-ga, Jung-gu, Busan)
- Seogwipo Everyday Olle Market (277-1, Seogwi-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do )
- Jeju Dongmun Traditional Market (20, Gwandeok-ro 14-gil, Jeju-si, Jeju-do)
- Paldalmun Market (8, Jeongjo-ro 776beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea)
- Jalgachi Fish Market (52 Jagalchihaean-ro, Nampo-dong, Jung-gu, Busan, Korea)
- Norangjin Fish Market ( 674 Nodeul-ro, Noryangjin 1(il)-dong, Dongjak-gu, Korea)
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Refreshing Ways For MICE Visitors To Eat, Play And Explore Around Korea Through The Seasons
Taste of Spring
As winter departs and spring dawns, the land will be blanketed in glorious blooms and verdant greenery. Spring time in Korea sees the bloom of the season’s most delectable delicacies in the wild; the harvesting of green tea in the south and the ocean teeming with the freshest catch.
Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival
Located just north of Pohang on the east coast, Yeongdeok-gun is the snow crab capital of Korea. The region’s crabs are well-known for their deliciously rich flavor. The Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival is usually held in early March and stands out as the highlight of the Yeongdeok snow crab season. It is abuzz with many snow crab related events.
Nonsan Strawberry Festival
Strawberry is the first spring fruit of the year in Korea. Many hotels, bakeries and restaurants, strawberry producers in Korea will start the new spring with series of strawberry inspired dinning events and activities.
Nonsan is the largest strawberry producer in Korea, holds annual festival in every April to celebrate the harvesting of the strawberries. Visitors can enjoy unlimited picking of strawberries at the farms, trying varies kind of food made with strawberries such as strawberry rice cakes, hot sauce, pancakes and jams.
Along with the main activity, other side events include strawberry cake baking and fireworks display.
Chilling in Summer
Sun-worshippers will welcome the sun, sea and surf at the pristine white beaches this season. Some of the highlights including Busan haeundae Sand Festival in June, the West Coast’s Boryeong Mud Festival in July and last but not least the Busan Beach Festival in August. But for those who prefer the indoors, there are other ways to beat the summer heat. One of the most memorable experiences is to dive into harvesting fun.
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Refreshing Ways For MICE Visitors To Eat, Play And Explore Around Korea Through The Seasons
Yeongdong Grape Festival
Yeongdong, the largest grape producer in Korea, elebrates grape harvesting every August. During the fruitful festival, visitors will relish the joy of picking unlimited grapes, in the vineyards. You will be tickled by interesting highlights such as “grape fishing” – where you literally “fish” out grapes from the pool.
To pamper your taste buds, don’t miss out on the food sampling of wine, chocolate and rice cake. Then burn off the extra calories in activities the grape-stomping and or get creative by making DIY items such as soap bars.
Aura of Autumn
Autumn in Korea, with its mild temperatures and gentle breezes; and a romantic natural back-drop to match, is unanimously hailed as the perfect period to travel and sightsee.
Hoengseong Hanu Festival
Hanu (Korean beef) is a luxury that many Koreans enjoy during special occasions such as Chuseok, it is no wonder that the Hoengseong-county in Gangwon-do province. The festival draws hordes of visitors each autumn to sample the best “hanu” (or beef) at affordable prices.
Adrenaline rush comes in the form of a wide range of activities especially planned for the event. From agricultural experiences, cooking competitions, street parades to catching trouts with your bare hands from the stream, the vendors will tempt you with local delicacies like deodeok (mountain bell flower) and Anheung steamed buns.
Jeonju Bibimbap Festival
It’s no secret that the best bibimbap hails from Jeonju, the venue for the exciting annual food festival that celebrates Korae’s hero dish. There is never a dull moment with programs such as Mat (delicious) bibim; Heung (Fun) Bibim that includes cultural performances and a food contest; Meot (Elegant) Bibim which invites visitors to dine in Hanok (traditional house) Village; as well as enjoy a line-up of activities, including touring the historic village.
Winter Wonder
In the magical month of December, snow-covered Korea will begin to glow with glittering decorative and festive lightings, and the spirit of wonderful celebrations. It is in this incredibly breathtaking setting that people gather at the annual sunrise festivals across the peninsular to welcome the brand new year. January and February are also the ideal months to enjoy ice craving, winter hiking and the hottest activity of all – ice fishing – in the yearly popular winter festivals.
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From Farm to Table or Sustainable Platforms
Seoul is just but one of the hundred plus cities in Korea. It is time to take a trip outside of Seoul to explore the wonders of rural areas in the country. There are many villages and farms in the country, and many offer seasonal different experiences for all ages, from harvesting, fruit picking, food making, fishing and the list goes on.
Sommy Village (Website: http://soomyland.com/)
Soomy Village is a small village in Yangpyeong with around 100 families living inside. It is one of the Rural Tourism villages designated by Yangpyeong County as well as Preliminary Social Enterprise designated by Gyeonggi Province.
In spring, Sommy Village is full of the strawberry scent. There are Yangpyeong Strawberry Festivals from February to May every year. Visitors can pick and eat ripe juicy strawberries or make their own strawberry-flavoured steamed buns and sweet rice puffs with strawberry syrup.
The Catfish Festival attracts many visitors every summer where they can catch the fishes in the shallow streams or enjoy riding raft along the river. Visitors can enjoy grilling your own food like catfish, eel, sweet potatoes, chest nut, rice cake and so during the Yangpyeong Mongddanggui Festival.
The Winter Secret Festival will be held in the winter where the frozen reservoir will turn to a natural fishing place. Don’t be shy to ride sleigh like children.
From Farm-to-table and now Dive and Dine
The term haenyeo refers to the women of the island who dive into the seas of Jeju for marine riches destined for local dinner tables. Not only are the haenyeo some of the world’s best divers; they also practice their skill free of air tanks and many use their daily hauls to run their own restaurants, which close for the day as soon as the ingredients run out. The Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (Women Divers) has bagged the 19th Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO for Korea in 2016.
With farm-to-table being all the rage, what better way to capitalize on this in Korea than to take your team through the whole process with the locals in sunny Jeju? The experience will be all the more unique since Jeju’s isolated island environment has led to many unique cultural practices distinct from the mainland over the centuries, with the haenyeo, or ‘sea women’, perhaps being the most shining example.
Small groups can now join the unique Haenyeo Diving Experience in Jeju, where members can suit up and dive together with haenyeo from the Hado village to collect horned turbans, sea urchins and other marine animals. The program may end with a lunch at one of the restaurants run by the haenyeo in the village.
