Now Travel is Also 'Carbon Neutral'

Panoramic view of Yeondae Island, Tongyeong City. (Photo by Korea Tourism Organization)

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Efforts to slow climate change through carbon neutrality are newly emerging in the travel industry as well.

The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 31st that it will conduct a "carbon-free travel" monitoring tour on Yeondaedo Island in Tongyeong City in cooperation with Tongyeong City, and has started recruiting participants from the general public through the Tourism Organization's website. This pilot trip, to be held twice on June 18 and 25, will recruit a total of 20 teams, with 10 teams (up to 4 people per team) each time, targeting the general public.

The monitoring tour, held over one night and two days at the "Tongyeong Eco Park" on Yeondaedo Island (located in Sanyang-eup, Tongyeong City), which realized energy self-sufficiency for the first time in Korea by installing solar power facilities in 2011, will be conducted in a camping style with groups of 2 to 4 people to maintain social distancing. During the 24-hour stay, participants will practice the "three no's": no use of fossil fuels, no use of disposable products, and no disposal of non-recyclable waste, experiencing a carbon-free trip on the clean and pollution-free island of Yeondaedo.

The trip will begin with the registration of "Carbon Avengers," symbolizing the practice of carbon neutrality to prevent global warming, followed by a "carbon-free cooking class" led by a local chef. Participants will prepare and eat eco-friendly meals using local foods such as seafood caught in the region. They will also experience the "zero carbon diet" system, where food waste is returned to nature through an enzyme decomposer.

Various programs are also available, including the "Beachcombing Upcycle Contest," where participants decorate the island with collected environmental waste such as plastics while walking around the beautiful Yeondaedo; the "Unplugged Concert," enjoying romance on the island powered solely by solar electricity; and the "Eco Island Ecological Exploration" with ecology experts.

Detailed information about the monitoring tour can be found and applications submitted through the online event banner on the Korea Tourism Organization's Korea Travel Online website.

Park Cheolbeom, head of the Korea Tourism Organization's Gyeongnam branch, said, "Although the schedule is short, we designed practical programs so that participants can continue practicing carbon-free living after returning to their daily lives through their travel experience. We plan to supplement the content through this tour and start selling products targeting the general public from July until the end of the year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.