TORONTO — The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) held a joint luxury seminar called ‘Uncovering Elegance in Korea and Japan’ last night at Toronto’s Gardiner Museum, to share some information on the luxury offerings available to travellers in these two nations.

Reps from Air Canada were also on hand at the event. The airline partners with the KTO and JNTO since it offers the most flights to and from both countries.

“Korea and Japan are close neighbours, which makes them perfect for dual destination trips,” explained Hillary Nguyen, Marketing Manager for KTO.

A sample itinerary gave travellers (and travel agents) an idea of what they could see and do in both countries.

The South Korea portion, focusing on history and culture, included three days and nights in Seoul, one in Gyeongju and then two in Busan, South Korea’s second largest city.

Highlights of the Seoul segment are Bukchon Hanok Village, National Museum of Korea, Cheongdam Street, Jenny House, Han River Cruise, DMZ Tour and National Theatre of Korea.

In Gyeongju, the attractions on the itinerary are Yangdong Village, Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple. Some of the Busan activities are Gamcheon Culture Village, Busan Air Cruise, the Sky Observatory and Spaland.

The Japan portion of the sample itinerary features three stops with three distinct themes for each: Modern Tokyo, Traditional Kyoto and Relaxing Okinawa.

The flight from Busan to Tokyo takes two hours. Two days and nights are suggested in Tokyo with attractions such as Ginza Noh Theater, Nezu Museum, Tokyo Skytree and a guided tour of the Imperial Palace.

The next two days and nights are spent in Kyoto with a Zen Buddhist meditation session and dinner with Geisha performance. Clients take the Nozomi Express for over 500 kilometres and 131 minutes to reach Kyoto.

On the fifth day, a 2.5 hour flight takes travellers from Osaka to Ishigaki. The following day, a one-hour flight is taken from Ishigaki to Okinawa for the final night of the sample itinerary.

Many luxury accommodations are available in both countries, ranging from international chains to uniquely national brands. As of March 2024, Japan has 46 hotels that are either five-star in the Michelin Guide or four/five-star in Forbes Travel Guide.

In addition to daily flights to Japan and South Korea, Air Canada has expanded its service from June to October with seasonal flights between Toronto-Osaka (starting June 17) and Montreal-Seoul (starting June 18).

To learn more, go to VisitKorea.or.kr, Japan.Travel and AirCanada.com.

Photo at top (left to right): Deejay Lee, Manager, Specialty Sales – Asia for Air Canada; Priscilla Portsmouth, Senior Assistant Manager for JNTO; Hillary Nguyen, Marketing Manager for KTO; Jane Kim, Director for KTO; Ken Toyoda, Executive Director for JNTO; and Mark Hashimoto, Manager Specialty Sales – Asia for Air Canada