Seoul to lure visitors with themed tours, video featuring BTS

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is kickstarting efforts to attract foreign visitors with new tour programs and a promotional video featuring the K-pop idol group BTS.

The video to be released will show the boy band’s last performance as a group before they reunite, the Seoul Tourism Organization said in a news conference on Tuesday.

BTS, the honorary ambassador of Seoul for its sixth year, last month announced a temporary split to perform individually.

Seoul’s new tourist program includes a tour of the former presidential office and residence Blue House, which was open to the public from May for the first time in seven decades. In the same month, President Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn in and moved to the Defense Ministry compound in the city.

As the country is loosening COVID 19-related travel restrictions, the tourism promotion body will host the Seoul Festa event next month, alongside an electric car race, E-Prix and a shopping festival.

Such events will be held offline for tourists and Korean citizens, unlike last year when they were online only.

In winter, the Seoul Lantern Festival will be scheduled for two weeks in December. Last year, the winter festival drew as many as 400,000 visitors even during the height of COVID-19.

FROM HIKING TO PET WALKING

In addition to annual events, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is developing district-specific tourist programs such as downtown hiking in northern Seoul, starting in September.

To appeal to the growing number of pet owners, a pet walking course will be introduced by Gwangjin-gu on the city’s east side.

To do so, the district administration will join hands with Konkuk University, well-known for veterinary medicine and located within the Gwangjin-gu district.

Seoul Tourism Organization head Gil Gi-yeon told reporters that the organization will focus on creating themed tour programs characteristic of each district.

Seocho-gu, home to the Seoul Arts Center, will offer customized music tours, while Songpa-gu provides sports-related events, making full use of the Olympic Stadium, the venue of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Write to Ji-Hee Choi at mymasaki@hankyung.com
Yeonhee Kim edited this article.