Chungcheongnam-do

 How about joining the “Temple Stay Program” that offers both a religious experience and tourism this year? The “Temple Stay Program” continues on in 2011, which offers an experience with traditional Buddhist culture and connects to the neighboring tourist attractions.

Eight Buddhist temples of Chungnam participate in the program including Gwangdeok of Cheonan, Gap, Makgok, and Yeongpyeong of Gongju, Buseok and Seogwang of Seosan, Jijangjeong of Nonsan, and Sudeok of Yesan.

In 2010, the number of participants in the program at one of those eight temples increased by 84% to 13,979 from 2009 with a sharp increase in the number of foreign nationals. Those statistics indicate that the program is a new tourist and cultural product for relaxing and finding oneself in nature in modern society.

Chungnam made a commitment to building new accommoda- tion facilities, rest rooms, showers, and lecture halls and to repairing and remodeling the old ones for the program by making considerable investments for the last seven years since 2004.

An official from Chungnam Provincial Office said, “We are planning to take a lead in reinforcing Chungnam's competitive edge in the tourism industry and activating its local economy by running differentiated tourist programs such as temple stays in 2011.” Want to join the “Temple Stay Program” Then contact the Tourism Departments of the concerned cities or guns or visit the homepages of the participating Buddhist temples.

Participating Buddhist Temples in the Temple Stay Plus One  Program

Gap of Gongju : www.gapsa.org, ＋82-41-857-8981

Sudeok of Yesan : www.sdsvill.org, ＋82-41-337-656

Buseok of Seosan : www.busuksa.com, ＋82-41-662-3824

Magok of Gongju : www.magoksanchang.com, ＋82-41-841-6221

Seogwang of Seosan : ＋82-41-664-2002

Jijangjeong of Nonsan : ＋82-41-732-5629

Gwangdeok of Cheonan : ＋82-41-567-0050

Yeongpyeong of Gongju : www.youngpyungsa.org, ＋82-41-857-1854