Hotels.com’s Q1 search figures in Korea show the greatest growth of interest in Westerm Australia and Perth among Korean travellers

June 17, 2010 (Seoul, Korea) ― Hotels.com? said that the number of searches ?for Perth*, the sophisticated vibrat city on the west coast of Australia,? increased by 800% for the first quarter of this year according to the figures from ?its Korean language web site.

Recently, Western Australia has become increasingly popular for many Korean travelers as it is included in ‘Lonely Planet's Best In Travel 2010’. Also, Western Australia Tourism Authority has been actively promoting its ‘Experience Extraordinary’ program with one of the most famous male actors Daniel Henney attracting a lot of Korean consumers’ attention.? Hotels.com analyzed that such a growing interest in Western Australia can be interpreted as the demand for new attractions among Korean travelers who have become familiar with traditional attractions like Sydney and Melbourne in Southeast Australia.

“The natural landscape that Western Australia offers so much from rugged landscapes and golden beaches to gorgeous wine regions,” said Peter Yoshihara, Korean and Japan marketing director at Hotels.com. “The world’s largest hotel inventory available at Hotels.com will offer special values to Korean travelers who seek to explore new pathways.”

Hotels.com, the global hotel specialist, introduces hotels in Western Australia from Perth, the gateway to Western Australia, to Coral Coast and Golden Outback.

*This ranking shows which city among hundreds of cities around the world registered in the Hotels.com site has received the biggest search ?increase by Korean travelers. This ranking is calculated by the Korean users’ page view increase trends, the number of people typing the city name in the search engine, and overall visitor numbers increase.

1. Perth and Surrounding Areas ? Dynamic Water Sports on Extensive and Beautiful Beach

Perth, located in the largest basin of the Swan River, allows for exotic and dynamic sporting activities in water such as windsurfing, sandboarding, sailing and fishing. The extensive beach stretching from Cottesloe to Lancelin is in particular known for water sporting activities. For those who want to enjoy rafting and rock-climbing, the Avon River is the perfect place to visit.

1. Rendezvous Observation City Hotel ? 4.5 star hotel near Scarborough Beach

Rendezvous Observation City Hotel is a resort & spa near the Scarborough Beach boasting the spectacular scenery of white sand beach meeting light blue water. Also, located only 15 minutes from downtown and 30 minutes from the airport, it offers easy access to the city’s main destinations such as City of Fremantle, AQWA marine park, Hillarys Boat Harbour and Swan Valley. It is one of the hotels subject to the summer promotion of Hotels.com in which guests will enjoy a third night free when they buy two consecutive nights if they book the hotel before July 31 and check in before November 30.

More information on the hotel and the reservation, please visit http://kr.hotels.com/ho109358/rendezvous-observation-city-hotel-scarborough-beach-oseuteureilria/.

1. Coral Coast ? Dancing with Dolphins

Australia’s Coral Coast in Western Australia offers a unique chance to experience swimming with rare marine animals while snorkeling. Particularly in Shark Bay, a world heritage site, travelers can watch and swim with dolphins which come close to Monkey Mia Resort. They can also test their luck of meeting rare marine lives including humpback whales. In addition, a large-scale exhibition for wild flowers is scheduled from July to November, promising another chance to enjoy exotic lives.

1. Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort ? 3.5 star hotel

Located in Dolphin Beach, Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort is a popular tourist resort famous for the daily feeding of dolphins in which guests can watch and even touch them as its name represents. With dolphins coming close to shore for more than forty years, the resort became a lab location for research on dolphins as well as a tourist destination. The resort is currently making efforts to become a 4.5 star resort. It is the perfect place for family travelers who want to make special memories with dolphins at an affordable price.

For more information on the hotel and the reservation, please visit http://kr.hotels.com/de29426/hotels-monkey-mia-oseuteureilria/.

1. Golden Outback ? True Outback Adventure

Travelers can visit an open-pit mine vastly standing in Kalgoorlie and try their luck at gold prospecting and fossicking. Also, they can make unforgettable moments with their friends or families at a farm stay in Wheatbelt, close to golden fields. In addition to these, Golden Outback has another fun that travelers should not miss out: a drive running down Outback Highway which connects from Canning Stock Route to Gunbarrel highway and Uluru as well as Eyre Highway which passes through Nullarbor.

1. Rydges Kalgoorlie ? 4.5 star hotel

Rydges Kalgoorlie Hotel is located in the center of Kalgoorlie, a historic site with the gold rush history in Western Australia. It offers a daily shuttle bus to the airport for free and easy access to tourist destinations including Hammond Park and Goldfields War Museum. In addition to the region’s outback adventure, it offers various programs including a movie package composed of the latest movies, the perfect place for those who cannot have a boring time.

For more information on the hotel and the reservation, please visit http://kr.hotels.com/de22541/hotels-kaelgulli-oseuteureilria/

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