Tour buses that go round popular attractions in Seoul and other major cities are enjoying popularity not only among foreigners but also locals who want to rediscover history, industry data showed Monday.

City tour buses provide organized shuttle tours to major city attractions with just a single ticket priced around $10. Passengers can hop on and off the bus that follows a circular route connecting top sightseeing destinations in Seoul and other cities.

According to the major e-commerce site Ticket Monster, city tour packages purchased by Korean nationals jumped 30 percent from Jan. 1 to Sept. 20 compared with a year ago.
 

Those in their 40s accounted for 40 percent of the total passengers, followed by 30s with 31 percent and 20s with 14 percent and 50s with 10 percent, Ticket Monster said. 

"Although the city tour used to be viewed as a program for foreign travelers and elderly people, it has now become a good travel option for younger people as well," Lee Kang-jun, a senior official at Ticket Monster, said.

The city tour bus package in Seoul was the most popular among the locals, followed by the night scene tour program in the historic city of Gyeongju and the tour package in the southern port city of Busan.

City tour buses take passengers to Seoul's historic royal palaces and popular tourist spots, including Myeongdong, Itaewon, Namdaemun Market and the National Museum of Korea. A panorama course offers sweeping views of Seoul, stopping at Namsan Park, Cheonggyecheon Stream, the Han River and other scenic spots. (Yonhap)