Healing Travel Destination No.1 Suncheon, Foreign International Students Fam Tour Promotion

20th Anniversary of Temple Stay, A Special Journey in Suncheon

[Suncheon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] On the 6th, Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do announced that it conducted a fam tour for 18 foreign students from the Language Institute of Paichai University, linked with the Songgwangsa Temple Stay, to explore major tourist attractions in Suncheon.

This fam tour was operated by the Korean Buddhist Business Group of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism for foreign students at the Language Institute of Paichai University to experience the Songgwangsa Temple Stay, continuing from last year, and was promoted in collaboration with Suncheon City.

In particular, this event holds special significance as it was held to commemorate the "20th Anniversary of Temple Stay."

The students from five countries including China and Japan who attended the event toured Suncheon’s famous sites such as Suncheonman National Garden, Suncheonman Bay Wetland Reserve, Nagan Eupseong Folk Village, and Songgwangsa Temple, and plan to promote the history and culture filled with the charm and taste of Suncheon to their countries through SNS.

Suncheon City and the Korean Buddhist Business Group plan to expand and link temple stays for foreigners residing in Korea with tourism in Suncheon, and will additionally conduct a total of four fam tours this year in collaboration with the Language Institute of Paichai University as well as Mondragon University in Spain.

A foreign student who attended the fam tour said, "I am happy to have visited the beautiful tourist spots of Suncheon and gained wonderful experiences," adding, "It was a time to feel the history of Korea in Suncheon, a UNESCO World Heritage city, and I look forward to the 2023 Suncheonman International Garden Expo."

An official from Suncheon City’s Tourism Division said, "We hope this fam tour will be a good opportunity for foreign students to widely promote the ecological city of Suncheon overseas," and added, "With the 2022-2023 Jeonnam Visit Year and the 2023 Suncheonman International Garden Expo, we expect it to greatly contribute to the activation of stay-type tourism."