2026 Korea Tourism Trends & Regional Inbound: Review of the 2nd Korea Tourism Data Seminar

Hello, everyone! 👋

Team JIRO is back!

Hope you’re all doing well!

On August 27, JIRO attended the 2nd Korea Tourism Data Seminar, hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

It was an insightful session where we got a clear look at the latest Korean travel trends through real-world data.

Curious about what was discussed? Let’s dive right in! ✨

This seminar took place at The Plaza Hotel Seoul.

The sessions covered key topics including Korea’s overall tourism trends, strategies to boost regional tourism connected to local airports, and the latest travel patterns.

A special highlight was a guest lecture titled "Revitalizing Regional Tourism Through K-Dramas," presented by Sang-won Yoo, Vice President of Studio Dragon (the powerhouse production company behind numerous hit K-dramas).

Korea Tourism Trends: What Does the Data Say?

Let’s kick things off with the latest trends shaping tourism in Korea! ✈️📊

*6 Southeast Asian Markets: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines

*GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council): Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman

First, total inbound foreign visitors reached 12.8 million, marking an impressive 21.3% year-on-year (YoY) increase. Arrivals through regional airports also surged to 2.38 million, jumping 39.7% YoY.

What makes these numbers particularly remarkable is that this upward trajectory continued despite global economic headwinds, such as elevated oil prices driven by instability in the Middle East. 📈

The Chinese market

The Chinese market experienced robust growth as it entered the summer peak season.

Firmly holding its position as Korea's No. 1 inbound tourism market, arrivals from China reached:

Jan–Jul 2026: 3.99 million visitors (+27.5% YoY)

Apr–Jul 2026: 2.56 million visitors (+27.8% YoY)

This sharp uptick was driven by a convergence of favorable factors:

Consecutive Spring Holidays: High travel demand during the Qingming Festival (April), Labor Day (May), and the Dragon Boat Festival (June).

Shift to Korea as an Alternative Destination: Regional travel diverted toward Korea amid Middle East geopolitical tensions and growing travel reluctance toward Japan.

Summer Peak Travel: Early holiday surges transitioned smoothly into the July summer peak season.

The Japanese market

The Japanese market also maintained steady momentum, largely propelled by the Golden Week holiday surge and a distinct consumer preference for short-haul getaways.

Jan–Jul 2026: 2.28 million visitors (+18.8% YoY)

Apr–Jul 2026: 1.34 million visitors (+17.9% YoY)

Notably, South Korea ranked as the #1 outbound travel destination for Japanese travelers during the major Golden Week holiday (April 29 – May 6).

With economic pressures like the weakened yen and elevated jet fuel prices, Japanese travelers increasingly prioritized close-to-home destinations—keeping demand for trips to Korea remarkably strong. 🇯🇵✈️🇰🇷

Taiwan Market: Outperforming All Major Source Markets

The Taiwanese market stood out with exceptional gains, fueled by prime holiday seasons and an explosive rise in independent family travel.

Jan–Jul 2026: 1.41 million visitors (+32.9% YoY)

Apr–Jul 2026: 868,000 visitors (+30.4% YoY)

Recording the highest growth rate among all key inbound markets, Taiwan’s rapid expansion was powered by three key drivers:

Holiday Windows & Summer Vacations: High travel demand during spring breaks transitioned seamlessly into a summer holiday surge starting in late June.

Rise of FIT & Family Travelers: A distinct jump in Free Independent Travelers (FIT) traveling with family members.

Flight Route Expansions: Increased direct flight connections between Taiwan and various Korean cities, significantly boosting accessibility. 🇹🇼✈️🇰🇷

U.S. Market: Steady Expansion Backed by a Strong Dollar

The U.S. market continued its reliable upward trajectory, buoyed by favorable exchange rates and enhanced flight connectivity.

Jan–Jul 2026: 962,000 visitors (+11.6% YoY)

Apr–Jul 2026: 653,000 visitors (+11.9% YoY)

Even in the face of headwinds like rising aviation fuel surcharges, several strong catalysts sustained this momentum:

Purchasing Power from a Strong Dollar: A favorable USD-to-KRW exchange rate lowered the overall cost of traveling and staying in South Korea.

Expanded Direct Flight Capacity: Major airlines increased seat allocations and nonstop routes between the U.S. and Korea.

Summer Vacations & K-Lifestyle Appeal: Summer school breaks paired with surging interest in authentic "K-lifestyle" experiences (from food and beauty to local culture) kept American traveler interest high. 🇺🇸✈️🇰🇷

Key Takeaways: Tourism Spending Surges Beyond Seoul

Overall, foreign tourist spending in South Korea between January and July skyrocketed by 48.3% YoY, reaching a massive 12.08 trillion KRW (approx. USD 9.0 billion).

What’s even more compelling is how spending momentum accelerated heading into summer:

Growth Speed: Total spending growth jumped from +36.3% in Q1 to +54.9% during the April–July period.

Regional Outperformance: Spending in non-capital regions surged by 56.9%, outstripping both the Seoul Metropolitan Area (+50.3%) and online transactions (+38.4%).

The Big Shift: Experiential, On-the-Ground Local Spending

The data reveals a clear behavioral transition: international visitor spending is actively shifting away from purely digital channels toward on-the-ground local experiences—including brick-and-mortar shopping, dining, wellness/medical services, and immersive cultural activities.

Most importantly, spending growth in regions outside greater Seoul leaped from 41.0% in Q1 to a staggering 65.0% in April–July. This demonstrates that the post-pandemic tourism resurgence is no longer confined to Seoul; it is genuinely spreading across Korea’s diverse regional destinations. 🚄🌿🇰🇷

Foreign Tourist Credit Card Spending (Jan–Jul 2026)

Tourist Spending Trends Across Key Inbound Markets

Foreign Medical Tourism Spending (Jan–Jul 2026)

Spending on medical tourism, widely recognized as a high-value-added industry, saw a substantial surge.

Across different medical and health categories, pharmacy spending more than tripled, highlighting a remarkable boom in demand for local health and wellness products.

Where Did Medical Tourists Spend Outside Seoul?

Among regions outside the capital, the breakdown of medical tourism spending was distributed as follows:

Busan: 37.0% (Leading all non-Seoul destinations)

Gyeonggi Province: 24.8%

Jeju Island: 13.8%

Incheon: 11.6%

Daegu: 4.3%

This demonstrates that major metropolitan and tourist hubs outside Seoul—especially Busan and Jeju—are rapidly expanding their footprint as premier destinations for international medical travelers. 🏥✈️🇰🇷

Foreign Tourist Spending on Hallyu (Korean Wave) (Jan–Jul 2026)

Beyond medical tourism, robust spending growth was visible across multiple consumer categories:

Shopping (+63.5%): Major boosts seen across department stores, duty-free outlets, and sporting goods.

Fashion & Accessories (+62.3%): High demand for apparel, accessories, watches, and fine jewelry.

Beauty & Wellness (+58.6%): Sustained popularity of K-beauty, skincare treatments, and wellness experiences.

Now, What About Domestic Travel Trends Among Koreans?

Domestic Tourism Trends Among Koreans

When looking at domestic travel habits among Koreans, there is a clear trend toward short-term getaways and micro-trips.

Amid this shift, travel to the Chungcheong provinces and Jeju Island saw noticeable increases.

Domestic Tourism Spending: Strong Momentum Outside Seoul

Non-Capital Growth: Tourism spending across regions outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area grew by 9.7% YoY.

Double-Digit Performers (April–July): Notably, three provinces achieved impressive double-digit growth:

Gyeongbuk (North Gyeongsang)

Gyeongnam (South Gyeongsang)

Chungnam (South Chungcheong)

This data shows that domestic travelers are increasingly taking short, frequent trips to regional destinations with distinct local flavors. 🚗🌿

Inbound Arrivals via Regional Airports: Reaching Record Highs

Next, let's take a closer look at international arrivals entering directly through Korea’s regional gateways! ✈️🇰🇷

2025 Full Year: Out of 16.78 million air arrivals, 3.17 million landed directly at key regional airports—specifically Cheongju, Daegu, Gimhae (Busan), and Jeju.

First Half of 2026 (H1 2026): Regional airports accounted for 20.7% of all inbound arrivals, setting an all-time record high.

Put simply: 1 in every 5 international visitors to South Korea now enters directly through a regional airport rather than Incheon or Gimpo.

This milestone reflects a fundamental expansion in international flight connectivity, making regional travel far more accessible than ever before.

Visitor trends by airport

Visitor trends by airport

However, as we’ve highlighted in our previous posts, landing at a regional airport is only the first step.

The true measure of success lies in whether this influx of international travelers translates into longer local stays and direct spending within regional communities.

With that in mind, let’s explore the actual travel patterns and spending behaviors of visitors entering Korea through regional airports! 🧭💳

Cheongju International Airport (CJJ)

Among Korea’s four major regional gateways, Cheongju Airport recorded the highest proportion of visitors traveling directly onward to the Seoul Metropolitan Area, standing at 34.5%.

Because Cheongju is geographically close to Seoul with convenient high-speed rail and express transit links, a significant portion of international arrivals still head straight toward the capital.

The Opportunity: Strong Regional Connectivity Across Chungcheong

However, looking at transit data to other provinces reveals tremendous potential for cross-regional tourism within central Korea:

Among travelers who journeyed to non-capital regions from Cheongju in the first half of 2026:

Chungnam (South Chungcheong): 50.0%

Daejeon: 13.6%

Sejong: 6.4%

Combined, a massive 70.0% of non-capital travelers stayed within the greater Chungcheong region (Chungnam, Daejeon, and Sejong).

Key Takeaway:

For Cheongju Airport, the primary strategic challenge is curbing immediate transit toward Seoul. Simultaneously, the clearest opportunity lies in leveraging these existing mobility corridors to develop seamless Chungcheong Mega-Regional Tourism routes—encouraging international visitors to explore and stay longer across central Korea. 🗺️🚌

Inbound arrivals entering through Cheongju Airport surged by an astonishing 109.1% YoY, and overall tourism spending across Chungbuk (North Chungcheong) province rose by 29.2%.

However, looking beneath the top-line numbers reveals a clear challenge: average daily spending per visitor within Chungbuk dropped by 38.2%.

Daegu International Airport (TAE)

For Daegu Airport, approximately 73% of international arrivals stay within the Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK) region, reflecting strong local retention.

Analyzing onward travel to other cities and provinces reveals an important regional shift:

Gyeongbuk (North Gyeongsang): Share rose from 43.1% in 2024 to 50.1% in the first half of 2026.

Busan: Share declined from 35.9% to 28.4% over the same period.

Evolving into an Inland Gateway for the Greater Region

This transit trend highlights a major qualitative transformation: Daegu Airport is rapidly moving beyond being just a city-level arrival point for Daegu itself. Instead, it is firmly cementing its role as a vital inland gateway connecting Daegu and Gyeongbuk together, channeling inbound travel deeper into the cultural and historical heartlands of southeastern Korea. 🛫🏔️

Foreign visitor arrivals through Daegu Airport saw a modest increase of 2.6%, but their tourism spending within Daegu rose by 12.8%, driving a 9.9% increase in average daily spending per person in the region.

Gimhae Airport

In the case of Gimhae Airport, a clear trend shows that half of arriving tourists head into Busan, while the other half move on to other regions.

Gimhae Airport appears to function not simply as an entry point into Busan, but as a decentralized gateway where staying in Busan and traveling to surrounding areas happen simultaneously.

In this environment, the Korea Tourism Organization pursued initiatives to connect regional content directly to actual inbound travel products.

To encourage international travelers to choose regional airports, clear proposals for "what to do after arriving" must be presented alongside flight routes.

The Korea Tourism Organization identified regional tourism content centered around Cheongju and Daegu airports, organizing it into regional and mega-regional tour courses connected to these gateways.

As of June 2026, they have reportedly identified 333 content assets across 17 themes and established 35 tourism courses.

Notable examples include a course connecting the Chungcheong region and adjacent areas, such as the Baekje History and Culture Route linking Cheongju, Gongju, Buyeo, and Jeonju from Cheongju Airport,

and from Daegu Airport, a wide-area course grouping key tourism resources across the Yeongnam region, such as the UNESCO Heritage Route linking Daegu, Gyeongju, Ulsan, and Busan.

As demonstrated, these routes feature connections that allow travelers to explore multiple regions using the airports as starting points.

JIRO will also do its best to discover and connect local content so that international visitors choose regional airports and enjoy great experiences after arriving!!

Fighting!!

Now, finally, let's take a look at the overall tourism trends.

Domestic travelers support the scale of accommodation, while foreign visitors drive the growth

Looking at accommodation data over the past three years, domestic travelers accounted for 85.4% of total accommodation demand, while foreign visitors grew by 29.0% over the same period.

While domestic travel saw only slight growth and remained largely flat, foreign visitors surged substantially, showing a clear pattern where domestic demand sustains overall market volume while inbound foreign demand drives growth.

When it comes to choosing accommodations, choices among domestic travelers have diversified, while foreign visitors tended to concentrate primarily on 4- and 5-star hotels.

Based on credit card spending, domestic accommodation expenditure was divided between 4- and 5-star hotels (37.5%) and motels (35.5%), while for foreign visitors, 4- and 5-star hotels accounted for 62.7%.

Reasons for Choosing Accommodation

Accommodations located close to large-scale leisure facilities and offering pre- and post-travel convenience gained strong popularity among domestic travelers.

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Looking into the details, experiences outside the lodging increasingly became the primary "reason for staying."

According to ONDA accommodation booking data over the past three years, bookings surged for properties highlighting nearby large-scale leisure attractions, such as golf courses (+199.3%), hot springs (+98.9%), and water parks (+56.5%). In contrast, properties highlighting in-room amenities, such as spas/whirlpools (-20.9%) and pool villas (-8.1%), saw a decline.

While private, self-contained experiences within lodgings like pool villas and spas were favored during the COVID-19 era,

interest has shifted toward large-scale, specialized outdoor experiences near properties—such as golf courses, water parks, and hot springs—following the return to routine life.

Additionally, the rise in demand for airport shuttles (+171.5%) and personal lockers (+115.5%) stands out. Bookings have grown for accommodations that provide practical pre- and post-travel conveniences, including airport connectivity and luggage storage, beyond standard on-site amenities.

Looking at accommodation booking surges during K-POP concert weeks, foreign visitors significantly outpaced domestic travelers.

Specifically, for concerts by five artists featured on Billboard's Top Tours, domestic bookings rose by 43.1%, while foreign bookings jumped by 99.4%—a growth rate 2.3 times higher.

For concerts by BLACKPINK, BTS, and Stray Kids, domestic bookings grew by 101.5% compared to an astonishing 619.2% increase in foreign bookings, expanding the gap to 6.1 times.

This suggests that K-POP concerts with massive global fandoms are even more tightly linked to surges in international accommodation demand.

On professional baseball game days, accommodation bookings near ballparks rose by 14.5% compared to non-game days on the same day of the week in the same month.

During the postseason, that difference surged to 41.3%.

By region, the increase in bookings was particularly pronounced in cities, counties, and districts hosting stadiums in non-capital areas, reaching 20.5%—4.2 times higher than the 4.9% seen in the capital area.

Leveraging this dynamic, non-capital regions could effectively devise strategies that link game schedules with accommodations, night tourism, and local commercial districts to extend game attendance into longer regional stays.

Considering that professional baseball stages 720 games every year during the regular season alone, the cumulative annual demand for accommodations generated by each game is expected to be substantial.

We explored the continuing growth of Korean tourism and non-capital regional tourism, along with the latest trends across the country's travel landscape.

Amid this momentum, it would be wonderful to see regional revitalization efforts come together to drive even greater growth moving forward.

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With that, I will wrap up today's post~~!

Have a wonderful day!!

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*The materials used in this post were prepared based on the Current Korea Tourism Vol. 2 report by Korea Tourism Data Lab and data shared at the 2nd Current Korea Tourism Data Seminar. You can view the original sources directly on the Korea Tourism Data Lab website!