Chairman Park Sam-koo gives a memorabilia to a Chinese tourist during the ceremony on March. 25, 2016, to kick off the K-Travel Bus program designed to give rides to foreign tourists for free overnight travel package from Seoul to the cities around the capital city of Korea.

Visit Korea Committee (Chairman Park Sam-koo) opened the official website of K-Travel Bus, a free overnight travel package between Seoul and local provinces, on Dec. 1, and is planning test operations.

K-Travel Bus provides the convenience of moving freely between provinces for foreign tourists, whom are usually concentrated in Seoul, while offering an overnight trip to outstanding tourism courses and “experience contents” at local areas. The program is developed and promoted together by the committee, Gangwon Province; Chungcheong Tourism Promotion Council (Daejeon Metropolitan City); Sejong City; North Chungcheong Province; South Chungcheong Province; South Jeolla Province; and North Gyeongsang Province. 

Meanwhile, Gangwon Province only participates in the form of festival shuttles between Seoul and Gangwon during the test operation period this year. It will become an overnight trip from 2016 to activate local tourism in Gangwon Province, with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics adding momentum.

The organizing committee is planning to invite staff and executives from Youku, China’s version of YouTube, to promote the test operation period. In addition, the committee will work on advertisements and promotion through Hsinhua, People.cn, Weibo and Google, while proceeding with a “Fam Tour” (Familiarization Tour) to develop and promote products with related organizations and national airlines.

The K-Travel Bus aims to diversify local tourist goods, expand the base for inbound tourism to Korea, and activate local tourism outside Seoul, along with the “2016-2018 Year of Visiting Korea.” After the test operation this year, operating areas will be extended nationally from March 2017. The price of this package is $170 to $180, and is exclusive for foreigners only. It will include a foreign language guide, accommodation and experiential events.

K-Travel Bus package can be reserved at the official website (www.k-travelbus.com), and is operated once a week with the minimum of 15 people per departure. 

With Seoul as its capital city, the landsite is roughly 1,030 km (612 miles) long and 175 km (105 miles) wide at its narrowest point. Korea's total land area is 100,033 square km, neighboring Japan to the east, China to the west, and sharing a northern border with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).

According to the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, as of July 2015, the total population of Korea was 51.49 million, making it the 26th most-populated country. Out of the total population, roughly 20 percent live in Seoul, the capital. Other large and economically advanced cities such as Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju and Ulsan have higher population densities than other cities in Korea.

Its design symbolizes the principles of the yin and yang in oriental philosophy. The circle in the center is divided into two equal parts, where the upper red responds to the active cosmic forces of the yang; conversely, the lower blue section represents the passive cosmic forces of the yin. The flag's background is white, representing Korean’s desire for peace and purity. The circle is surrounded by four trigrams, one in each corner, characterizing continual movement, balance and harmony. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements (heaven, earth, fire, and water).

K-Travel Bus passengers pose for a photo Friday with popular Korean animation character Pororo, selected as a promotional ambassador for Korean tourism, in front of K-Travel Bus buses.(Photos:Visit Korea Committee)