NEW BRIDGES CONNECTING ISLANDS AND LAND

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We sometimes have to cancel planned trips to islands due to bad weather or because of the inconvenience of traveling by boat. However, the construction of new bridges connecting islands and the mainland has paved the way for islands to become popular tourist destinations.

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The dadohae region off the south coast of the nation is known for its beautiful scenery and the vast, unblocked horizon. However, aspiring tourists are often discouraged by the difficulty in accessibility and bad weather conditions. Recently, many islands have overcome the problem by building bridges. This is Cheonsa Bridge in Shinan-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province. The bridge, which opened last April, has turned nearby islands into new tourist destinations. More than five million tourists have visited the islands since the bridge went into service. An overwater bridge connecting four islands between Yeosu and Goheung was used by 38,000 vehicles when it opened temporarily for the Lunar New Year holiday.

[Soundbite] KIM KYUNG-GU(RESIDENT) : "The bridge was packed with vehicles on both directions. They stopped to look at the bridge. It was such a spectacle. Cars could not make headway due to heavy traffic."

Local governments are quickly moving to utilize those newly connected islands as a new tourist resource. Starting next month, the Yeosu city government will operate pilot bus tours to islands located between Yeosu and Goheung every Saturday.

[Soundbite] JEONG JAE-HO(YEOSU CITY OFFICIAL) : "It will be an age of tours to islands in the future. We will develop islands as a new tourist resource and carry out an active promotional campaign."

Out of some 270 inhabited islands in Jeollanam-do Province, roughly 60 are connected by bridges. New bridges are now under construction for nine islands. As bridges have improved accessibility, remote islands are drawing attention as a new tourist resource.