Popular destinations in Asia

South Korea’s Jeju Island, the so-called “Hawaii of Korea”, is off the country’s southern coast. The island is especially popular among newly married people as well as Koreans from the mainland and others around the world who go to Jeju to get a break from the tensions of everyday life.

Mainland Koreans are also finding peace on Jeju Island. Many Koreans work long hours in a high-tension, competitive environment. Those living in cities look to Jeju for an escape.

Experts note increased attention to personal wellness around the world. Popular wellness activities include stays at Buddhist religious centers, meditation, eating healthy foods, and communal living. David Mason is a professor of cultural tourism at Sejong University in Seoul. He says wellness tourism is on the rise in South Korea.

"There has been some movement among Koreans to leave the big city and the stress and the horrors of modern urban pressures and go to some rural countryside area and try to live a more human life."

Some travelers are even choosing to move to the island. For example, Kim Kwang-yoon built a vacation home on Jeju last year. He owns a biotech company in Gwangju. He and his wife try to visit the island twice a month.

"I always miss the life of Jeju Island. Every day. Every day I want to go there."

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