A tech-packed adventure

South Korea is among the popular destinations for Thai tourists due to its cultural heritage, historical landmarks, natural landscapes, the entertainment industry and lack of visa requirements -- Thai tourists only need a K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) approval.

To help travellers plan their journey easily, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) collaborated with local governments of several cities to create the Smart Tourism City Project. Each local government has developed its own app such as Yeosuen, Touch Suwon, Daegu Trip and Incheon Easy which provide information about activities, accommodation, transportation and restaurants. Some cities even enhance the tourist experience with AR and VR images at certain locations.

During our five-day trip to Seoul, Yeosu, Suwon, Daegu and Incheon in South Korea arranged by KTO, Incheon stood out as an excellent destination where visiting tour operators and media representatives from Thailand experienced how advanced technology can be applied to tourism.

We stayed one night at the Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel located in the centre of Songdo, a business district connected to Incheon International Airport. The land in Songdo was reclaimed from the sea and developed into a city. Across from the hotel, there is Songdo Central Park, inspired by Central Park in New York City. The park has a man-made seawater canal that is cleaned every day. Songdo showcases how technology is used in developed countries to enhance the quality of life of their citizens.

An electric car with vintage design. (Photos: Suwitcha Chaiyong)

The next day, we took an electric car with a vintage design reminiscent of 19th century cars. It combines environmentally friendly technology with a classic appearance. At Open Port Street, a KTO staff member showed us how to use the Incheon Easy AR app. We could see ancient images of Open Port Street by using the app at locations marked with an AR VR sign on the floor.

Our next stop was the former mayor's traditional house. We spent a lot of time exploring this serene home with an extensive garden. On the walls were many paintings depicting the history of Incheon accompanied by QR codes for audio descriptions. Unfortunately, the descriptions and audio were only available in Korean. Our tour guide, Kim Sun-kyung, explained that Japan once forced Korea to open the Incheon port but Korea resisted Japanese control.

Next to the Korean traditional house, Jayu Park, or Freedom Park, is Korea's first Western-style park. Near the park stands Jemulpo Club, a foreign social club designed by a Russian architect in 1901. Inside, visitors can use the Incheon Easy AR app to see augmented reality images of people dancing in the club during the period of the port's opening when foreigners lived in this area. Additionally, Jemulpo Club served as a film location for the popular TV series Goblin. After we left the set of Goblin, we visited Chinatown, where the famous Korean dish jajangmyeon originated. We tried the delectable food at the Mandabok restaurant.

Travelling from Seoul to Daegu on the Korea Train Express took about 1.30 hours. In the past, Daegu was known for its electronics industry which produced devices for Apple. It is also famous as a textile city, where people can find various types of fabric, embroidered materials and beautiful traditional Korean clothing, Hanbok. In Daegu, instead of focusing on technology, we spent our time learning about Korean culture. We also wore a Hanbok and participated in a Korean tea ceremony.

A sign on the floor marks the location for viewing AR VR images.

Tourists can plan their trip to Daegu using the Daegu Trip app. Tourists can choose between Daegu City Tour which costs 10,000 won (270 baht) for adults and takes about 60 minutes with 12 stops, or the Suseong Tour Bus which costs 500 won (14 baht) for adults and loops around the city in 10 stops.

Highlights of the Daegu City Tour include the Samsung Creative Campus, Apsan Cable Car and Daegu National Museum. The Suseong Tour Bus takes visitors to spots like Suseongmot Lake, Arte Suseong Land (an amusement park) and Deulangil Food Town.

At night, we planned to view Suseong Lake Musical Fountain, which is the largest musical fountain in South Korea, according to the Daegu Trip app. Unfortunately, heavy rain caused technical issues which forced the cancellation of the fountain show. Nevertheless, the ambience surrounding the fountain and the breathtaking view from the rooftop of our accommodation at Hotel Susung impressed us.

Unlike Yeosu, Suwon, Daegu and Incheon, Seoul is not included in the Smart Tourism City Project. As the capital, Seoul is the principal destination for tourists and therefore information is easy to find. Although not included in the Smart Tourism City Project, Seoul has a reputation as a technologically advanced and innovative city. During our visit, we explored Seoul's XR technology (extended reality) at HiKR Ground and experienced advanced technology at T.um. tour by SK Telecom Future Technology Experience Center.

K-pop fans should not miss the opportunity to visit HiKR Ground which is free entry. On the 1st floor, there is a media wall displaying images of Korean celebrities. Among its five floors, the 2nd floor was the most crowded because it featured live studios showcasing scenes of K-pop music videos using XR technology. XR is a range of diverse technologies that merge physical and virtual environments to create an immersive and interactive experience for visitors.

An AR image of people dancing in Jemulpo Club.

Incheon Easy app allows you to view AR and VR images.

In the Subway zone, visitors will feel as if they are in a subway scene from the music video Black Mamba by girl group Aespa. There is a control panel which allows visitors to change the colours, lights and music of the subway scene. Talented visitors can enjoy singing and dancing at the My Stage zone where the background continually changes the images to give the illusion of performing in different places.

When we arrived at the Robot-Gate in the T.um. tour by SK Telecom Future Technology Experience Center, we were informed about a virtual futuristic city set in the year 2053. The city called Hi-Land has two locations -- ocean and outer space. Upon entering, we felt like we had been transported into a sci-fi movie.

We boarded the Hyperloop, a high-speed environmentally friendly vehicle, which took us to the Space Control Center where the captain monitored any change that may cause a huge impact on the Earth. Visitors had to complete several missions in various zones including the Hologram Conference Room, Medical Room and Teleport Room in order to save Earth. In the medical room, a rescued survivor was diagnosed by an artificial intelligence doctor. I participated in a surgery using a new technology to assist the survivor and the procedure was a success in a short period of time.

Throughout the trip, I often heard my fellow tour member, who has been running a business taking tourists from Bangkok to South Korea for over a decade, say that Thailand used to be close to South Korea in terms of technological development. However, South Korea has now surpassed Thailand by a significant margin.

The former mayor's traditional house.

From the T.um. tour, it is evident that South Korea has a clear vision for developing a futurist city and will have developed cutting-edge technology by 2053. Due to their current achievements, it comes as no surprise that they are likely to accomplish future goals. Thailand should learn from their success and try to follow in Korea's footsteps.

This is the second of the two-part Korean Smart Tourism City series which explores the cities of Incheon, Daegu and Seoul.