Xuebi, an eight-year-old bichon frise, and his proprietor pose at an orchard in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 5, throughout a pet-friendly apple-picking expertise. Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
By Lee Hae-rin
POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province — Arong, a seven-year-old combined breed canine that lives along with her proprietor Lee Bo-young in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, had a “paw-fect” autumn picnic at an apple orchard with a gaggle of canine mates, final Thursday.
Wearing a flowery hat and a mombbae, a conventional Korean general worn by discipline staff, Arong sniffed the air and strolled round an apple orchard for the primary time in her life.
“A pet!” exclaimed one of many kindergarteners from a discipline journey group passing by, waving at her. “The canine is right here choosing apples with us,” their instructor defined, to which Arong joyfully barked in response.
Arong, a seven-year-old combined breed, and her proprietor pose at an orchard in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 5, throughout a pet-friendly apple-picking expertise. Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
It was additionally a special occasion for Xuebi, an eight-year-old bichon frise from Seoul. Xuebi, together with Arong and three different canine mates — Danbi, Wangbang, and Toto — acquired to style freshly picked apples whereas their house owners loved apple pie and apple juice following the apple choosing.
“We’re proud to current the area’s specialty. Have a chunk, it’s candy and juicy. Everybody, together with our furry mates, is welcome right here on the farm to strive it,” stated Sin Hyun-jung, the farm proprietor who additionally raises two canine.
Positioned within the mountainous northern Gyeonggi Province, an hour drive from Seoul, Pocheon is open to all vacationers — each people and animals.
Designated by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Group (KTO) as this yr’s pet-friendly tourism metropolis, together with Suncheon in South Jeolla Province, Pocheon affords a number of pet-friendly points of interest. One such spot is Sin’s Farm, the place the 5 canine mates had the chance to discover each inch of the property.
They first had brunch product of recent native components at a restaurant outfitted with non-public rooms. Then they rode a monorail automotive to go up the mountain and benefit from the picturesque view at Pocheon Artwork Valley, an artwork and tradition advanced visited by over 400,000 folks a yr.
Danbi, a five-year-old husky, and his proprietor pose at an Pocheon Artwork Valley in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 5. Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
After the apple-picking expertise on the orchard, they attended a one-day agility class at a park and loved a vegetarian picnic at a playground close to the Hantan River.
From gardeners to espresso store employees, the 5 canine vacationers obtained heat greetings from each Pocheon citizen they met all through the day, which Arong’s proprietor Lee stated is a uncommon and particular expertise for pet house owners in Korea.
“Arong and I journey to different cities for recent air about as soon as a month, and it’s not simple to discover a place that gives each pet-friendly journey infrastructure and ambiance,” Lee stated.
For instance, final month, Lee and Arong visited a dog-friendly seashore in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Regardless of paying an entrance price of about 10,000 received ($7.40) per individual, they have been requested to go away by the seashore supervisor attributable to complaints from different guests who thought of canine “soiled.”
Lee and several other pet house owners who spoke with The Korea Instances famous that this example contrasts sharply with the booming pet business and the rising pet-owning inhabitants in Korea, the place about one in 4 Koreans now lives with companion animals.
In accordance with a 2023 report by KB Administration Institute, “difficulties in touring” was the highest concern confronted by roughly 14.8 million pet house owners in Korea, affecting 37.4 p.c of them.
Virtually half, or 47.8 p.c of the survey’s 2,000 respondents stated they gave up an opportunity to journey due to their pet. In the meantime, the share of people that would advocate having a pet fell by 4.6 share factors to 41.9 p.c, with “difficulties in occurring a visit” being essentially the most generally cited cause.
Wangbang, a six-year-old golden retriever, tries agility at a pet playground in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 5. Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
In response, final yr the Tradition Ministry and KTO started choosing two “pet-friendly tourism cities” annually to advertise pet tourism, and so they allotted a billion-won finances over a 10-year interval.
“Right here in Pocheon, we have now over 10 pet-friendly points of interest. Its proximity to Seoul and the encompassing space, the place there’s a excessive focus of pet house owners, makes the town an excellent journey vacation spot for these with pets,” stated Choi Eun-ok, an official from the tourism division at Pocheon Metropolitan Authorities.
Pocheon boasts 97 pet-friendly lodging and 140 pet-friendly eating places, which has helped set up the town as a well-liked vacation spot for pet house owners searching for a weekend getaway, Choi defined.
Choi believes it’s equally necessary to coach not solely pet house owners but in addition most of the people on learn how to stay in concord with pets.
In accordance with the KB report, over half of the respondents who don’t personal pets expressed issues about uncollected trash and feces, in addition to the potential for aggression when encountering canine whereas touring.
“Pocheon Metropolis goals to develop a tradition the place individuals who don’t stay with pets additionally assist pet tourism and stay in concord with our furry mates,” Choi stated.
