Busan, the best way to get to Yeosu Expo
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During the EXPO period, there will be a cruise ship route from Busan to Yeosu. Above, the PanStar Dream passes under the Akashi Bridge of Japan.
20 local hotels designated as official expo accommodations, run shuttle between city and Yeosu
Visitors to Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea can maximize their trip by incorporating a tour of Busan City. As such, Busan City is now working to secure convenient transportation between the two cities during the three-month expo period. The organizing committee of the expo has also designated 20 hotels in Busan (about 4,000 rooms) as official accommodations of the Expo. Busan city is busy preparing for its guests by developing tours that connect with the expo theme.
As Gimhae International Airport is the closest international airport to Yeosu, Busan City is expecting about 130,000 foreign tourists will visit Korea through Gimhae International Airport and Busan Port during the Expo period. This represents about 26 percent of the total 490,000 expected foreign visitors to the exposition.
Another reason that tourists will be tempted to visit Busan City is because Yeosu and nearby hotels and motels will not be able to accommodate everyone.
In fact, 16 civil servants from China’s Hebei Province including an expo delegation have decided to stay here and visited Busan to take a look around the hotels. Additionally, 25 German professors have elected to stay at the Toyoko-inn Hotel and have asked whether the city will be running a shuttle bus to Yeosu. Busan City will invite 400 Japanese lawmakers and hopes to attract as many tourists as possible during the expo. Apart from designating official accommodations, officials have confirmed that expo shuttle buses and cruise ships will be in operation.
Meanwhile, Busan City will also host a marine forum this year in connection with the expo. The city is also planning to offer a combined expo package of hotel, cruise tour and shuttle bus for tourists’ convenience.
Promoting city as a marine capital
World Ocean Forum to be held from June 3-7
Busan City will have an opportunity to make itself known as a marine capital to expo tourists when it hosts the World Ocean Forum from June 3 to 7 and runs the expo’s regional government hall.
For a period of four month from April to August, the city will operate a 72-square-meter hall at the expo site aimed at promoting its local culture, industry, development and creativity. The hall will serve as a demonstration center from April until May 11, when the expo officially gets under way, at which point the hall will become fully operational.
To maximize its presence despite the relatively small space, the Busan Hall has simplified its theme to “Northeast Asia Marine Capital Busan” and has been decorated with “killer contents” for tourists’ entertainment. It will be an experience zone where visitors can truly get to grips with the city’s evolving future as a marine hub.
A game zone and a large three-sided video and marine animation have been prepared to deliver the exhibition’s theme more effectively to tourists. The elaborate video screen allows visitors to see how it feels to operate a container crane, and take a journey through the city’s past and future while traveling in an aircraft.
Such efforts are aimed at promoting the high-tech logistics system at Busan New Port as well as the future of the city’s marine economy.
Marine life animation to debut at expo
A still from the animation “Marine Boy O Dae-yang”
Busan City is producing Korea’s first animation about marine life and the sea. Tentatively titled “Marine Boy O Dae-yang,” it will trace the seafaring adventures of a young Busan native as he searches for new marine micro-organism. The animation is scheduled to debut at the upcoming expo. In order to get it made in time, Busan City has been receiving proposals for the project since January and has reviewed them with a screening committee made up of outside experts. On Feb. 27, local authorities signed an agreement with production company Characterplan to produce the animation.
The theme, chosen by a public contest, will aim to highlight the potential of the ocean through Busan boy’s adventures. The animation is due to be unveiled the public at Busan Hall of the Yeosu Expo.
National Maritime Museum to open
Air view of National Maritime Museum, which will be completed by early May
Korea’s one and only National Maritime Museum will be opening in line with the expo after construction wraps up in early May.
The museum is being built in Yeongdo-gu District Dongsam-dong on a gross floor area of 45,444-square meters. It will have one floor underground and four stories above ground, and is being built with a budget of 114.2 billion won ($100.4 million).
Busan City has been collecting and purchasing thousands of relics over the last two years to display in the museum and it has already secured 9,000 rare and valuable items. The highlights include a six-person Viking ship that used to belong to the Viking Museum in Copenhagen, a Venetian gondola and a reconstructed ship from the Joseon Tongsinsa.
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Details of the expo
The official name of the expo is Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea. It will take place in Jeolla-do near the Yeosu New Port from May 12 and run for three months. This is one of the three major world events along with the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. The theme of the Yeosu Expo is “The Living Ocean and Coast.” It will provide visitors with plenty t o see and promote Korea’s marine abilities to the world.
Expo tickets and reservations
Expo tickets can be obtained through the websites of the organizing committee (www.expo2012.or.kr) or Interpark (www.interpark.com). People can also purchase tickets off-line at Gwangju Bank, the Industrial Bank of Korea and E-Mart. Tickets cost 33,000 won ($29) for an adult standard day pass.
With the ticket, visitors can see the exhibitions and all the performances on that day.
Early reservations until April 30 will receive a 5 percent discount. Groups of more than 30 people can enjoy a 20 percent discount, while foreign visitor groups can save an additional 10 percent if they book through Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA).
The expo will open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The source of news: Dynamic Busan
