SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The Jinhae Gunhangje (Jinhae Naval Port Festival), South Korea’s flagship cherry blossom festival, has become increasingly popular among foreign tourists, with tens of thousands of visitors from Taiwan and Southeast Asia attending the festival.
In addition to Jinhae, Taiwanese tourists have also been flocking to nearby Gimhae, leading to a significant increase in foreign visitors to the Gyeongnam region.
However, this sudden influx of Taiwanese tourists has also highlighted the problem of a shortage of interpreters in the area.
During the festival, Lin Chen-fu, director-general of Taipei Mission in South Korea’s Busan Office, visited Jinhae and expressed great interest in the festival.
The recent promotion by China Airlines, the state-owned flag carrier of Taiwan, to celebrate the re-launch of its Gimhae-Taipei route is believed to have contributed to the large influx of Taiwanese tourists to the area, according to Changwon.
Historically, Jinhae has a special connection to Taiwan, with former South Korean President Rhee Syng-man and Taiwanese President Chiang Kai-shek holding talks in August 1949.
Taiwanese tourists also visit Wen Haeru, a Chinese restaurant where Chiang is said to have visited, and where Lee and Chiang had an informal dinner after the meeting.
Both Jinhae and Gimhae are included in the Korea Tourism Organization’s “100 Best Korean Tourism Destinations” list.
This biannual program is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to select 100 outstanding tourist destinations that domestic and international tourists should visit.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
