Incheon Promises to Be a Magnet for Tourists

Offers exotic tourist spots and festivals year-round with upcoming '2009: Visit Incheon Year' and Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon

Incheon is sure to be thrust into the limelight in Korea and abroad as the city will see the "2009: Visit Incheon Year" coincide with the Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon. Incheon will mark the 2009: Visit Incheon Year designed to develop tourism products unique to the port city and build up tourism infrastructure in the Incheon Bay.
Officials at the Incheon Metropolitan City Government bet that Incheon's hosting of the Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon, slated for next August through December, during the 2009: Visit Incheon Year will likely bring about synergetic effects.
In this regard, the municipal government, the Incheon Tourism Organization and the 2009: Visit Incheon Year Planning Corp have joined in the effort to prepare itself to make the 2009: Visit Incheon Year and the upcoming fair & festival successes.
Incheon has unveiled the symbols of the 2009: Visit Incheon Year in a combination of Incheon's hopes (red), dreams (blue) and passion (red) to symbolize the city's globalization through three characters: Maru, a symbol of hope and the light of Incheon's sky; Ara, a symbol of Incheon's sea and dream; and Uri, a symbol of Incheon's high-tech city and passion. It has also adopted the catchphrase "Come together, Fly Incheon" to publicize Incheon's leap forward through the 2009: Visit Incheon Year.
The city plans to offer one-day and two-night tour courses and city tour courses via Korail to divert Korean outbound tourists from overseas destinations while developing tour courses related to the Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon.
The 2009: Visit Incheon Year Planning Corp has been stepping up brisk publicity activities through public broadcasting networks and other media as well as a domestic road show in order to publicize the 2009: Visit Incheon Year.
A traditional performing troupe, dubbed "An Idyllic Life," has been making the rounds in 10 cities, including Chuncheon, Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon and Seoul since late October. Incheon has been participating in Korean and foreign exhibitions and fairs including the national culture and tourism narrators convention and the Asia-Pacific tourism CEO's meeting.
FULL OF DYNAMIC TOURIST SPOTS
Visitors to Incheon can get a glimpse into the cultural heritage of the late Joseon Dynasty as ancient Korea's first port city to open its doors to foreigners. There are three Chinese gates (Paeru), indicating the entrances to Chinatown; ancient Gonghwachun, the oldest existing Qing cuisine restaurant, believed to be the birthplace of jajangmyeon, a popular Chinese noodle dish in Korea.
Another attraction is Gangwha Island, which is referred to as "a roofless museum" to describe the numerous historical sites and relics that dot the island. Situated at the southwestern tip of the island, Mt. Mani and the Chamseong Altar, believed to be where Dangun, the mythological founding father of Korea, offered worship and prayers for the well-being and prosperity of the nation. The Ganghwa dolmen were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with dolmen in Gochang and Hwasun. The Ganghwa dolmen, each measuring 2.6 meters high, 5.2 meters wide and weighing some 80 tons with a 6.4 meter-long cover stone, is a representative Bronze Age tomb, the largest of which is found in South Korea.
Incheon will be also a magnet for tourists who want to see the magnificent features of the Incheon Free Economic Zone as an emerging international business and finance center, in which the nation's longest Incheon Bridge to the 151-floor twin tower skyscraper, Incheon Tower and Incheon Songdo Convensia will be built.
Here is a list of Incheon's 12 tourism jewels, each recommended according to a month of the year -- Palmi Island in January; Chinatown in February; Beaknyeong Island in March; Mt. Goryeo on Ganghwa Island in April; Bupyeong, a center for the traditional Korean folklore festival in May; Gangwha Island for a Buddhist temple stay in June; Dongjin in July; Songdo in August; Soraepogu Inlet in October; Weolmi Island in November; and Seokmo Island in December.
EXOTIC, DIVERSE FESTIVALS
Incheon will offer diverse festivals, internationally and locally, all year-round. Here is a look at exotic tourist attractions to see, foods to enjoy and lodgings and other amenities the city will showcase during the 2009: Visit Incheon Year.
Palmi Island will be an ideal sunrise spot to welcome the New Year on Jan. 1, 2009, since the island will open its doors to the public for first time in 106 years. The sunrise will mesmerize viewers and will be accompanied by a variety of events, including a welcoming lighting show and the opening of a lighthouse museum. An excursion boat ride from Weolmi Island to Palmi Island will be connected to a theme tour via train being arranged by the ITO to serve as part of Incheon's top-eight tourism prides.
Another well-known sunrise tourist spot to usher in the New Year is on Mt. Mani. There will be a performance to celebrate the 2009: Visit Incheon Year and 2,009 visitors will be served tteokguk, a rice cake soup, on a first-come first-served basis.
A festival to commemorate the launch of the 2009: Visit Incheon Year will be held at the Samsan World Gymnastics Complex in Incheon on Jan. 16 with the attendance of popular singers.
Festivals will be held each month of next year until October when the Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon gets under way.
May will feature the biggest number of festivals. A memorial monument symbolizing sunset will be installed at Janghwa-ri, Ganghwa-gun or Ulwang-ri, Jung-gu. The French invasion in protest against the massacre of Catholics in 1896 during the late Joseon Dynasty will be re-enacted at Gwangseongbo Fortress. There will also be a fishing tournament in front of Incheon port, the Bupyeong Folklore Contest and the 2009 Incheon International Beer Culture Festival. The most attractive thing during May will be the Incheon Grand Sale, which will give discounts to prices at conventional markets across the Incheon area, model eateries and pleasure boats. In July, there will be the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival and the Nodureong Lotus Flower Festival, while the Incheon Maritime Festival, which will offer such experiences as maritime camp life and shipboard tours, will be held in August.
In September, about 100,000 Incheon citizens will take part in a mammoth event to celebrate the opening of the Incheon Bridge slated for October. It will be a race across the 21.3 km-long bridge by foot, in-line skates, bicycle or motorcycle, which will be followed by the Incheon Food Culture Festival and the Incheon-China Day anniversary event. In October, there will be the Incheon Soraepogu Inlet Festival, the Incheon International Crown Mime Festival and the Incheon International Fireworks Festival as well as the Chinatown Festival and the Weolmido Culture Festival.
GLOBAL FAIR & FESTIVAL 2009 INCHEON
Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon will open on Aug. 7 for an 80-day run in several parts of the Incheon area, including the Songdo International City Third Construction Site, Central Park, Tomorrow City, and Songdo Convensia. The extravaganza will showcase exhibitions, international conferences and festivals, including the Global Wine Festival, the World Robot Football Contest and the Multimedia Show. nw

(from top) The popular Soraepogu Inlet in Incheon, a cluster of fishing markets, and the flashy Culture Street of Weolmi Island, one of Incheon's tourist attractions.

This is one of the three Chinese gates (Paeru), indicating the entrance to Chinatowon.