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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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 Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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| as to how Korea can improve its tourist industry? easy - have more and better English spoken as well as bilingual signage in museums and art galleries, places tourists visit. |
Actually I'd try to improve the Chinese and Japanese services just as much, if not more. They seem to actually have a mild interest in the place, unlike English speakers, despite whatever the Korean government claims. I know those Chinese and Japanese people aren't as much real people as English speakers, but they do have money...
That being said, some of the signage here and facilities are truly awful and would require a minimal investment in being upgraded and could accommodate Chinese, Japanese, English, Spanish, French, and more. I mean, it wouldn't be that expensive or time consuming to print out a 5 language pamphlet. |
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luckylady
Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Location: u.s. of occupied territories
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Quote: |
| as to how Korea can improve its tourist industry? easy - have more and better English spoken as well as bilingual signage in museums and art galleries, places tourists visit. |
Actually I'd try to improve the Chinese and Japanese services just as much, if not more. They seem to actually have a mild interest in the place, unlike English speakers, despite whatever the Korean government claims.
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yes, that's why Korea is blasting Japan and China websites for people to come to Korea and teach Japanese and Mandarin huh? and why ESL teachers spend their time visiting museums, temples and sites like ANDONG??
| Steelrails wrote: |
I know those Chinese and Japanese people aren't as much real people as English speakers, but they do have money... |
that's your opinion, and you must certainly be proud of it. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:20 pm Post subject: |
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| slothrop wrote: |
yeah yeah ok. you're right on every point probably. what about this one?
agree or disagree?
10,000,000 foreigners entering korea doesn't equal 10,000,000 tourists.
i don't care how many chinese and japanese girls come over for the day to buy cosmetics or guys to gamble in casinos. it can't be half what thailnd has even during floods, riots, armegeddan, and a tsunami thrown in. it just can't. if there were you would have seen at least 1 or 2 of them in andong.LOL |
Take a look at the number of flights between Japan and Korea. Almost one leaving every 30 minutes from Incheon alone on Boeing 767's, that can add up to a lot of people. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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yes, that's why Korea is blasting Japan and China websites for people to come to Korea and teach Japanese and Mandarin huh? and why ESL teachers spend their time visiting museums, temples and sites like ANDONG??
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Language teachers aren't tourists. They are temporary specialist workers.
Most tourists to Korea seem to come from Asia, therefore it would make sense to focus language services on them, say that country of 1 billion next door who's language can also be read somewhat by people from that #3 Economy nation an hour away.
I'm just saying there are other people on this planet than English speakers and their tourism experience is just as important as anyone else's.
| Quote: |
| that's your opinion, and you must certainly be proud of it. |
Actually it seems the opinion of some on this board that 'foreigner' or 'tourist' = English speaking caucasian and that their treatment and experiences are the ones that count above all others.
I agree that language services should be improved, but it seems the Chinese market is as important as the English one given proximity and all... |
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young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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I have had my problems with Thailand, but please not China.
Korea is a great tourist destination. In the backyard of our school right next to a temple there was a statue carved out in 1200 AD you could still make out the features of it. There was a pogoda of the same age there. You could walk up to these things and touch them (I didn't but you could). These things are everywhere in Korea. Korea is not particularly real expensive to vacation in either. |
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slothrop
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by slothrop on Tue May 15, 2012 7:58 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| slothrop wrote: |
i don't care what #'s they report, or how many asian tourists you can even SEE at myoungdong, namdaemoon, dongdaemun, coex, etc... anyonw who has been to thailand can see these #'s are spin. |
I come to Korea as a tourist 3-6 weeks a year. As such, my place is in a building that caters to tourists and unlike foreign workers, I spend every single day at tourist spots. I can say that those numbers sound very reasonable. You don't see many Caucasians, but those sites are chuck full of Asians from other countries. And yeah, I can tell the difference between the various Asian nationalities. Thailand is more for Westerners. |
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slothrop
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by slothrop on Sat May 19, 2012 6:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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adzee1
Joined: 22 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:29 pm Post subject: |
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In response to the comments that claim this would be a good place for backpackers I disagree, in fact I cant think of many worse places for backpacking.
If you look at the major backpacking destinations around the world they are usually cheap with great scenery, interesting cultural sights. Eg. S.E Asia, Latin America, India, Nepal. I dont feel Korea fits into this category due to the prices of basic commodities, the fact that there are hardly any other backpackers here, and a distinct lack of truly impressive sights / beaches / cities.
The second category of destinations are more expensive such as Australia, NZ and Europe but again these places offer can offer more in terms of culture, food, sights or breathtaking scenery, and they already have established backpacking routes which people like to follow.
If I was trying to describe to someone why they should come here I would find it hard to think of what is Korea`s USP.
Temples- Yes but there are better ones in cheaper locations with better weather.
Food - Is ok but again, cheaper and better food can be found elsewhere.
Beaches - Again ok... but nothing really special compared with SE Asia, Latin America, Aus & Europe.
People - The attitude and warmth of Koreans is not really a good selling point, imo.
Cities - Do they look nice ? Not really. Do they have character? Not really. Except for Seoul do they really differ from place to place ? Not really.
If anyone can tell me what it is what is that would attract backpackers please enlighten me.
Someone mentioned costs and said like 30,000 won a night, compare that with a nice hut on a tropical beach for 10,000 won and there is only going to be one winner. |
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slothrop
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by slothrop on Sat May 19, 2012 6:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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adzee1
Joined: 22 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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| slothrop wrote: |
| where u getting a nice hut on a tropical beach for 10,000 won? please PM me. the last time i paid that in SE asia for a simple hut on the beach was over a decade ago.LOL |
Admittedly prices have gone up in the last 10 years but you can easily find a place for under $10 in Thailand, Vietnam. They may not be the kind of places advertised on the internet but they are there. Especially if you book for like a month or something.
Same goes for Latin America, I stayed in a small wooden hut in Maruata, Mexico for 9 dollars (120Mexican Pesos) a night, less than 12 months ago.
I just think for the roughly $30 dollar minimum you need to stay here, you could get an really good place somewhere much more appealing, and much more fun IMO.
Then when you add the costs of having some nice food it works out to be far more expensive here. Not that I dislike the food but for the nicer meals you are looking at around $7 / $8 upwards.
For a nice meal in Mexico or Thailand its more like $3 / $4 dollars. |
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nero
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:14 pm Post subject: |
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| slothrop wrote: |
| where u getting a nice hut on a tropical beach for 10,000 won? please PM me. the last time i paid that in SE asia for a simple hut on the beach was over a decade ago.LOL |
When we were on Ko Chang last year we paid 15,000 won for a nice beach hut. If you go off main strips and have a look around there are heaps of cheap places to hunker down. I paid less than 15,000won for decent beach front rooms in the past couple of years in Borneo, Cambodia and Thailand.
But I am interested to see if anyone can refute the argument that Korea is not a particulary great backpacker destination. I think adeez1 makes some valid points.
*Sorry, i should just add that my room in Borneo was in a rainforest, not beachfront.. |
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slothrop
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by slothrop on Sat May 19, 2012 6:47 am; edited 1 time in total |
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adzee1
Joined: 22 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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| slothrop wrote: |
15,000 on kochang? thats like 400 baht. must have been low season, heh? last time i was there, 5 years ago during high season, everything started at 800-900 a night, and they weren't on the beach.
as for korea being a great place for backpackers or not, of course its easy to say it's not and name a hundred better places. but you could do the same for moneyed tourists... name a hundred better places... my point was, look, this is what they have to work with... now what parts of korea should we emphasize for tourism? hanbok wearing drum beating pansori singers on parade? night clubs and discoteques? casinos and upscale shopping districts? they're already doing that and seem to be disapointed with the results, meaning, they want more tourists coming here, to spend some money and experience some korean culture. my point is the vast untapped potential that korea possesses is in the everyday stuff. not the fake towns made to look like a shlla dynasty town. but some real towns that look like they were built 50 years ago because they actually were. and the temples and the mountains and the islands and the food. you can say the food isn't as good as thai food or chinese food or japanese food. know what? i agree with you. but know what else? i need to eat a few times a day everyday to stay alive and sometimes i want some variety and actually enjoy korean food. you can only backpack so many times through the same places. people need variety, try different things. and i know korea doesn't have what tropical coutries with killer beaches have to offer. but some of those places are overrated. for example, india. glad i went one time just to see it. wouldn't ever go back again though. just my opinion.
ps. of course you can get a better room in thailand for 30,000 won IF you go low season, pay ,monthly rates etc.. but for what you get, 30,000 for a yogwan isn't a bad deal. lots of places in thailand charge that 800 baht for similar for even worse places, especially in high season. i'm not talking about the best deal you ever found. i'm talking about what your average tourists pay and what they get for it. |
As you put it yes you could name a hundred better places for both backpackers and money tourists, which is the reason why these places have more tourists than Korea because they have a USP, a reason which pulls people and makes them want to visit.
Yes I understand what you mean that Korea must work with what it has but what is this untapped potential ? and if its so great why is it untapped ?
Yes the cities were built around 50 years ago but very little effort goes into making them look different from each other and maintaining areas of natural beauty for people to relax in.
I too enjoy eating Korean food and also want variety, when I want variety here I must pay though the nose for it due to the extortionate prices of meat, veg and fruit.
Yes with regards to the $30 per night I am also not talking about the best deal I have ever found, with that $30 though I am almost 100% sure i could find somewhere better in any SE Asian or Latin American destination.
One final point, whether you like it or not.. many backpackers choose destinations because they can get cheap drugs there and here they cant get any.
I DON`T partake myself but I think many backpackers wouldnt come here due to that reason. |
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slothrop
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 7:29 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by slothrop on Sat May 19, 2012 6:46 am; edited 1 time in total |
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