The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization have announced the 100 Must-Visit Tourism Spots of Korea for 2021-2022.

Fifty-one of the travel destinations on the list are natural attractions and 49 are cultural attractions, reflecting the demand for tourism related to history, culture and the liberal arts, the ministry said.

A total of 19 spots have been selected five consecutive times since the biennial list was launched in 2013, including the five Joseon palaces in Seoul, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, Seoraksan National Park, Andong Hahoe Folk Village, the Suncheonman Bay Wetland Reserve and Jeju Olle-gil Trail.

The Seodaemun Prison History Museum, Incheon’s Open Port Area and Chinatown, Sejong’s Lake Park, Huinnyeoul Culture Village in Busan and Hwangmaesan County Park in Hapcheon are among the 19 new additions to the list.

The 100 Must-Visit Tourism Spots of Korea were selected among a total of 198 travel destinations. Some of those had appeared in the previous edition of 100 Must-Visit Tourism Spots of Korea for 2019-2020, others were suggested by the local authorities and others were among the most visited travel spots across South Korea.

Experts in the tourism industry, travel journalists and writers participated in the three-step screening process using big data from mobile carriers, navigation apps and social media. 

“It is sad that we cannot enjoy traveling as we please as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. We hope Koreans and tourists can travel freely in the near future, visiting the 100 Must-Visit Tourism Spots of Korea,” Choi Bo-guen, head of the Culture Ministry’s Tourism Policy Bureau, said.

For more information about the 100 Must-Visit Tourism Spots of Korea, check the KTO’s official website at www.visitkorea.or.kr.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)