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Busan named best 2018 Asian destination by Lonely Planet
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Visitors view the waves on the Oryukdo Skywalk while looking down through transparent glass floor. A perfect phototaking area to capture the sight of Daemado Island. (Shutterstock/Cheng Wei)
T
he portside city of Busan, South Korea, has been named the best destination in Asia 2018 by the travel experts at Lonely Planet, who describe the bustling city as a confluence of culture and cuisine.
For the third edition of LP’s Best In Asia list, editors rounded up 10 destinations worth visiting over the next 12 months, which span East, South and Western Asia.
In May, Busan hosted an opening ceremony celebrating its title as East Asia’s Culture City 2018, as part of a joint agreement among Japan, China and Korea. Every year, three cities are selected to promote artistic and cultural development in the region. Busan shares the title this year with Harbin, China and Kanazawa in Japan.
The city also tops the Best In Asia list for offering travellers an “eclectic” offering of activities, from hikes up to Buddhist temples and hot springs to seafood feasts at the largest fish market in the country, editors say.
Busan is the second-biggest city in South Korea after Seoul.
Read also: Is it safe to wear a bikini in Korea?
In second spot is Uzbekistan, with its “dreamy mosaic-clad mosques and Silk Road lore”. Last year, the country announced new visa-free schemes, and introduced new air routes and extensions to its high-speed rail line in an effort to boost international tourism and attract tourists to its “jewelled sites” and “ancient ruins”.
And rounding out the podium is Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, where vintage boutiques, independent coffee shops and innovative breweries are transforming the city into a buzzing Asian megalopolis, editors say.
This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
