Busan, Korea's biggest harbor city in Korea may soon rise as one of the best sea resort in Asia with water planes, amphibian bus/boats and cable cars within a few years.
According to a Busan Metropolitan City announcement last week, Korea's second largest city plans to take full advantage of its natural surroundings to become one of the best beach resorts in the world.
The launch of amphibian bus tours around Haeundae Beach comes first in the grand project as the city has concluded a memorandum of understanding with K.A.V., a local company that developed the nation's first amphibian vehicle with local technology.
K.A.V. just completed a successful test drive of its nine-seater vehicle two weeks ago. The full size 40-seater vehicle, 12.5 m in length, 2.46 m in width and 3.5 m in height is slated to roll around Haeundae and Gwanganri Beach, the two famous sea resorts of the region by February next year.
K.A.V boasts that its vehicle can withstand two-meter waves. “Because amphibians can be used as RVs, fire trucks and other purposes, we believe there's a market for 3,000 just in the domestic market,” a K.A.V. official said. “We also plan to export to China and other Southeast Asian nations where there are lots of lakes and islands.”
The company is currently making the final adjustments to its vehicle to meet legal requirements as both a car and a ship. “We're establishing cooperative relations with related research centers. Once we pass the test, we'd also study overseas regulations as well,” the official added.
Busan hopes the new vehicle would add uniqueness to its beach resort.
A cable car system across Suyeongman Bay to connect Haeundae Beach to Igidae Park is the next big project. The city is currently negotiating with another private company to build the 3.8 km-long cable car line that would stretch from Dongbaekseom (Island) at Haeundae Beach to the south end of Gwangan Bridge in Igidae. Both the city and the company are conducting feasibility studies to see if four towers constructed in the sea can carry tourists in the eight-seater gondolas and bring a return on the investment.
The cable cars would travel at around 18 km/hr and carry 4,800 people per hour. The company believes the scenic ride could draw about 1.2 million tourists from home and abroad every year.
Once completed the cable car would be the nation's longest and Asia's third biggest after the ones operating on Singapore's Sentosa Island and Hong Kong's Ngong Ping. The company plans to begin construction late next year once they complete the purchase of land and receive a building permit. Busan hopes to have its cable car in operation by early 2010.
Busan authorities are generally positive about the plan as long as it does not harm the region's marine ecosystem, which is another pride of Busan.
Another cable car is also in the works. Busan is seeking more private backers to build a line from the Songdo Beach Resort in Seo-gu to Songrim Park on Mt. Jinjeongsan on Yeongdo and on to the island Molundae in the city's Saha district.
The third idea to boost tourism in Busan is a cruise ship that would add to the spectacular night view of the sea from the city as it floats against the backdrop of Gwangan Grand Bridge, one of Korea's longest.
The envisioned cruise ship would sail along the reclaimed area of Minrak-dong at the eastern end of Gwanganri Beach and continue on toward Gwangan Grand Bridge, Dongbaekseom Island, Haeundae Beach, Songjeong Beach and Daebyeon Harbor.
The city is also in the middle of discussing details for another huge cruise weighing several thousand tons that will travel as far as Hallyeo Haesang National Park on the southern coast.
Water planes are expected to take flight around 2009 in the Daedaepo and Songdo region and slowly spread to other places by 2015. Other water leisure industries scheduled to grow are yachting, motor boating, water skiing and out door swimming pools. The local government is also contemplating fishing areas and several marina centers to serve the needs of tourists.
“Busan, with its mild weather, blue sea and natural habitat has a clear potential to grow into a successful global beach resort with the right infrastructure and unique quality,” a Busan City official said.
The source of news : Korea.net July 01, 2007
