Experiential Templestay Programs, Including Tea Ceremony, Receive Praise
Emerging as a Center for Healing, Meditation, Relaxation, and Wellness
Haenam County in Jeollanam-do (Governor Myung Hyun-gwan) announced on the 11th that Daeheungsa Temple has been selected as an Excellent Wellness Tourist Destination by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.
Wellness is a combination of well-being, happiness, and health. Wellness tourism refers to travel focused on health and healing, such as retreats, spas, and food. Out of 66 locations recommended by metropolitan governments, 11 sites nationwide were selected as excellent wellness tourist destinations through document review, on-site evaluation, and a final screening process.
In the Jeollanam-do region, two sites were designated: Daeheungsa Temple in Haenam and the Jeollanam-do Mind Health Healing Center in Jangheung. Daeheungsa Temple was recognized as a top tourist destination in the field of healing and meditation.
Located on Duryunsan Mountain in Haenam, Daeheungsa Temple is the main temple of the 22nd district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and is a thousand-year-old temple with a wealth of cultural heritage, even registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In particular, Daeheungsa Temple is renowned as the cradle of tea culture in Korea, having sparked a renaissance in Korean tea under the guidance of Choui Seonsa, one of its 13 great monks known as the "Tea Saint." The temple continues to uphold the philosophy of Seoncha Il-yeo, the unity of Zen and tea.
Daeheungsa Temple operates unique Seon meditation and experiential templestay programs, including meditation and tea ceremony experiences, temple tours, mountain hiking, and tea conversations with monks, which have received high praise for their distinctiveness.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization will support domestic and international promotion and commercialization of tourism products for Daeheungsa Temple as an excellent wellness tourist destination, as well as provide customized consulting, capacity-building education, and nationwide wellness tourism events.
Additionally, with its selection for projects such as the Namdo Millennium Temple Global Meditation Tourism Project and tourism environment improvement for the underprivileged, both led by Jeollanam-do, Haenam County is accelerating efforts to develop the Duryunsan area, including Daeheungsa Temple, as a hub for wellness tourism.
An official from the county stated, "Daeheungsa Temple, Haenam's representative tourist attraction, is being reborn as a wellness destination where visitors can experience natural healing," and added, "We will continue to develop specialized programs so that many travelers can find vitality and healing in Haenam."
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