Honeymoons

With wedding season in full swing, future brides and grooms are busy planning their honeymoons. There are many great domestic travel destinations, but many people want to use their honeymoon as an opportunity to leave the country. Many four-to-six day honeymoon packages to all types of destinations between April and June are selling out: it is best to hurry and reserve seats now.

Popular honeymoon destinations-

If you look at recent honeymoon travel magazines, the most important factor in selecting a location is to choose a “trip concept.” Will it be a “relaxing” vacation for the exhausted bodies and minds, or a “tourist” vacation to take advantage of a “honeymoon” to visit a place one has always wanted to see?

At the Shinsaegae department store’s wedding salon, Happy Tour recommends the Maldives, Bali, and Hawaii for newlyweds seeking “relaxing” vacations.

In addition to being promoted as a vacation spot with a single resort on one island, the Maldives offer a diverse array of water sports, including canoeing and windsurfing, which can help rid one of exhaustion in both mind and body.

Bali offers not only water sports, but river rafting, folk tourist courses, and spas.

Hawaii’s one flaw is the difficulty in getting a visa to go to the United States. However, last fall the Hawaiian Tourism Office launched a “Honeymoon Visa” service in cooperation with six travel agencies in Korea.

This service gives people who visit Hawaii for their honeymoon a “Ten Year American Visa.” After visiting Hawaii, the visa converts to a general visa, which allows the holder to visit the rest of the United States. This year the number of travel agencies offering the “Honeymoon Visa Service” expanded to 12.

Australia or Europe is more suited to newlyweds who want a “tourist” style trip. Sydney has sights such as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as well as Darling Harbour.

In Europe, Happy Tour revealed that Paris was the most popular destination, with famous sights such as the Louvre, Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower.

Try Thailand-

Hana Tour, based on information from reservations made this year from January through June, said that the most popular place was the Thai destination Phuket. Last year people avoided Phuket because of the tsunami disaster, but this year it has again taken first place.

Second place was Pattaya, also in Thailand, with the nickname “the Queen of Southeast Asian vacation spots.”

Honeymoon spots are gradually increasing in number, but Thailand is still on top.

Additionally, Boracay, Cebu, Sydney, Guam, Bali, Bintan were also spots sought out for honeymoons.

The Hyundai Department Store Group’s “Hyundai Dream Tour” offers honeymoon packages including: five days at the Bali Chedi Club (2,149,000 won per person); five days at the Bali Ritz Carlton Oceancliff Pool Villa (2,549,000 won per person); five days at the Palawan Amanpulo (2,349,000 won per person); six days at the Blue Cairns Resort (1,229,9000 won); five days at the Aloha Hawaii Sheraton Waikiki (1,899,000 per person); and five days at the Phuket Chandara Pool Villa (1,899,000 per person).

bonhong@donga.com