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[Focus] Tokyo Hotel Gajoen’s 32nd Anniversary Travel Package with Lacquer Artisans


KALPAK, a luxury travel brand jointly operated by Korean Air and Hanjin Tourism, introduced a travel package product to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the restoration of Gajoen Garden in Tokyo, Japan.

KALPAK explained that it has newly launched 'Art Tour with Mr. Jeon Yong-bok', where you can see Korean traditional lacquer works at a glance, as expectations for overseas travel have risen recently. The product consists of a 3-day, 2-night itinerary to visit Tokyo (November 20-22) and a 4-day, 3-night itinerary to visit Tokyo and Hakone (November 20-23).

Hotel Gajoen, the core of the trip, is designated as a "tangible cultural property" by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government with a 100-year history. Numerous artworks are displayed in the historic building style, creating a unique atmosphere. The hallway decorated like a gallery with traditional Japanese murals and the traditional Japanese garden are Gajoen's most attractive points.

Jeon Yong-bok, a master of Korean lacquer, has been praised for perfectly restoring lacquerware in Japan's national treasure banquet hall, 'Meguro Gajoen'. In 1991, he successfully restored 5,000 pieces of lacquerware inside Gajoen, a national treasure banquet hall in Japan, and received the title of 'the world's best lacquerware for Koreans'. At that time, Jeon Yong-bok surprised the Japanese archipelago by completing a workload that required 100,000 people for a year and several years with 300 students in just 3 years.

In this trip, Jeon Jeon-bok personally participates and presents lectures, lacquer performances, etc., and presents a manuscript he drew as a gift to all participants.

On the second day of the trip, a Korea-Japan friendship exchange meeting (tentative name) will be held with Mr. Jeon Jeon at the banquet hall on the second floor of the Gajoen Hotel. As a special event in which a total of 400 people, including Koreans, Japanese and VIPs, will participate at the same time, Jeon Jeon and his students will explain the work and hold a performance.

Jeon Yong-Bok Jeon is regarded as a person who pioneered the creative world of lacquer by adding ocher to traditional techniques. In particular, he built his reputation by presenting lacquer paintings and installations one after another beyond his simple crafts. In particular, he was praised for sublimating lacquer into the realm of fine art by adding modernity to traditional techniques, such as mixing lacquer with natural dark green to create a variety of colors. ))))))))))


The best year-end gift is 'travel'..Popular destinations are Japan

predicted that 'travel experiences' would be preferred over 'material rewards' at the end of the year when voluntary demand such as compensation for myself increases. The top 5 winter and year-end destinations were Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok, Oita and Kyoto. Among the top 5, there are 4 Japanese cities, confirming the popularity of Japan.


According to a recent 'Year End Travel' survey conducted by Hotels.com, more than half (59%) of Korean travelers answered that they would like to present a trip rather than a material gift as a reward for themselves.

Another 60% said that 'as a gift for a friend or family member, travel is better than a material gift'.

Whether it's a staycation, domestic or international travel, it shows that post-pandemic travelers' priorities are now shifting from possessing tangible possessions to seeking some kind of experience.

The top three travel types that Korean travelers want to give themselves or their loved ones the most are 'nature and scenery trips (66%)', 'gourmet trips (51%)', and 'family friendly trips (46%)' in order. occupied

However, regardless of destination, the top motives for traveling are 'I want to have time to relax and recharge' (64%), 'I want to take a break from work and reward myself (58%)', and 'I want to take a break from work (58%)' It was confirmed that they wanted to spend meaningful time with family and friends (53%).


Inflation has been found to have an impact on Korean travelers' travel spending plans. Amidst this inflationary economic environment, Hotels.com confirmed that demand for three-star hotels at reasonable prices is growing significantly compared to the same period last year.

According to Hotels.com Korea website data, the most preferred accommodation type for domestic travelers for this year-end trip is 'hotel', followed by 'hostel' and 'apartment hotel'.


In addition, domestic respondents willing to 'spend up to 2.5 million won' (10%) on year-end overseas travel decreased compared to summer (14%), while domestic respondents willing to 'spend up to 1 million won' (35%) ) increased compared to summer (17%).


In particular, with the border reopening and COVID-19 restrictions being eased, many travelers are taking this as an opportunity to review their travel wishlists they have built over the past two years and start to 'realize their wishes'.

According to a Hotels.com survey, 73% of Korean travelers said they had, or plan to create, a travel wishlist for this winter, and generally (43%) had three or four travel wishlists. turned out to be In addition, 83% of the respondents said that they look forward to their next trip even more if they have a travel wish list.

During this year-end or winter season, 17% of Korean respondents answered 'overseas travel', 46% 'holiday or domestic travel', and 17% 'planning both overseas and domestic travel'.

In addition, 45.4% of Korean travelers plan to travel to 'warm destinations', 35.3% to 'cold destinations', and 19.3% plan to visit both destinations.

Meanwhile, 70% said this trip was their first overseas trip since the pandemic (since March 2020), and most (64%) said they were planning to go on vacation with their family.