A new theme called ‘Han River Waterplay’ has been launched, allowing people to search, book, and pay all at once for various water leisure facilities and programs such as water skiing, kayaking, boats, and yachts on the Han River, all through the ‘Kakao T’ app, which has 38 million users.
The city of Seoul announced that it has completed the establishment of the ‘Han River Waterplay’ theme on the Kakao T app in collaboration with Kakao Mobility, a private platform.
Previously, citizens found it difficult to know what water leisure programs were available on the Han River due to different booking methods for different operators. To tackle this issue, the Seoul government and Kakao Mobility have decided to consolidate all information on water leisure facilities and programs at the Han River to provide consistent and comprehensive information. This effort is one of the components of the ‘Comprehensive Plan for Activating Water Activities on the Han River’ announced in March this year.
For cruises, bookings could be made through individual company websites; for water leisure equipment, reservations were made via phone or internet portals; Han River swimming pools and sledding sites required on-site payments or online ticket purchases; and Han River sports facilities were accessible through Seoul’s public service reservation system.
With the integration of the Kakao T platform, access to information about the Han River is expected to improve, allowing citizens to conveniently use water leisure facilities and programs, thus further activating water activities on the Han River. Additionally, having all booking, promotion, and payment processes in one integrated platform is anticipated to reduce costs.
Initially, the ‘Han River Waterplay’ theme available in the travel tab of Kakao T provides access to over 50 water leisure facilities and programs from nine water leisure and guiding business locations within Han River parks. Options range from rentals of canoes, paddleboards, and windsurfing at Ttukseom Han River Park to water skiing lessons and banana boat rides at Jamwon Han River Park, as well as yacht experiences at Banpo Han River Park.
Starting from the 15th (Monday), there will be a promotional event offering special discounts for water leisure programs that can only be enjoyed on the Han River, such as water skiing, sunset kayaking, and wakeboarding, so planning a budget-friendly vacation in the Han River during this year’s anticipated record heat is recommended.
Reservation information can be checked by clicking on the ‘Han River Waterplay’ icon or banner in the travel tab of the Kakao T app, or by tapping on locations on the map in the leisure/ticket tab to view available facilities and programs by Han River location.
Citizens interested in various water leisure programs available at the Han River can search for and download the ‘Kakao T’ app from Google Play or the Apple App Store before use.
For leisure/ticket options, click on the ‘Nearby’ map item next to the search bar, navigate to the desired location on the map, and then click ‘Re-search within this map’ to discover available products.
The city plans to utilize front pop-ups within the Kakao T app and pop-ups that may appear when using Han River parking lots, as well as intuitive displays on the map to ensure more citizens have access to reservation information for Han River water leisure and guiding services.
Meanwhile, in addition to the ‘Han River Waterplay’ theme in the Kakao T app this year, the city plans to expand the service range in the future to include the Han River river bus, swimming pools in Han River parks, sledding sites, sports facilities along the Han River, and bike rental locations. There are plans to collaborate with various private platforms, including Kakao T, to provide citizens with additional information.
Ryu Geung-seon, the CEO of Kakao Mobility, expressed, “We are pleased to introduce excellent water leisure products available on the Han River through Kakao T in collaboration with the city of Seoul. We aim to continuously improve convenience by connecting diverse travel products from domestic small and medium enterprises with Kakao T’s mobility services and contribute to the revitalization of domestic tourism and local economies in the future.”
Joo Yong-tae, head of the Seoul Future Han River Headquarters, stated, “We have built the ‘Han River Waterplay’ theme on the representative private platform Kakao T app so that citizens can view information about various water leisure activities that have been provided in various ways at a glance and conveniently. The city will continue to enhance access and convenience for citizens regarding water leisure information as the demand for leisure activities at the Han River continues to rise.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr