SEOUL: Nami Island, famed for its picturesque tree-lined roads and synonymous with the 2002 romantic South Korean drama series “Winter Sonata”, will welcome a special delegation of Malaysians next week.
Led by Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, the delegation will explore the island’s popular zipline ride for possible implementation in Langkawi, as well as other potential cultural exchanges.
Nami Island’s zipline ride is over 3,000ft long and extends over a river, from a dock on the mainland to the island. Another way to reach the island is by ferry.
Nami Island chief executive officer and president Jeon Myeong Jun told the New Straits Times that the South Korean travel hotspot has enjoyed a decade of amicable relationship in tourism and cultural partnership with Langkawi.
“Nami and Langkawi have had numerous cultural exchange programmes in the past. We have a piece of Langkawi here, in the form of Langkawi Garden, while (the) Nami Garden is in Langkawi.
“So, with the upcoming visit, we will explore more programmes to strengthen our ties,” he added.
The NST was selected to represent Malaysia in the month-long 2019 Kwanhun-KPF Press Fellowship programme here, which also enjoys the participation of journalists from seven other Asian countries – Brunei, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Mongolia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
When contacted, Bakhtiar said that the delegation’s objective is to learn as much as possible from Nami Island about tourism.
He said the island is a popular movie location, and as such, it would be interesting to find out how it achieved that status.
“We want to see how we can replicate their success in Langkawi. It would be good if we could utilise Langkawi as a popular filming site as well.
“Also, during my visit there, we will further discuss Langkawi’s investment plan, as well as finalising investment for the (proposed) zipline project in Langkawi,” he added.
The Malaysian soap opera “The Calling of Nami Island” was, of course, filmed in Nami; as have countless television and movie productions from Thailand, the Philippines and China, among others.
Some three million visitors from about 130 countries visit the privately-owned Nami Island annually, with about half of them from Southeast Asia.
The island has even erected signboards greeting tourists from visiting countries in various languages. One says: “Apa Khabar?”
Meanwhile, Jeon said that they have managed to collect over 60,000 signatures from visitors from around the world, including Malaysia, to object to the South Korean authorities’ proposal to build a bridge from the mainland to Nami Island.
The central and city governments are of the view that a bridge would facilitate faster access to the island, compared to the zipline and ferry.
“However, many feel otherwise. If you do it for economic reasons, the tourism wouldn’t be genuine.
”So, many tourists here, including the foreigners, are also against the bridge idea. (They want) the island’s natural surroundings maintained,” he added.