South Korea plans to develop five tourism hubs around regional airports to encourage foreign visitors to explore beyond Seoul, as only a third of the record 18.9 million tourists in 2025 left the capital.
01Summary
- 01South Korea drew 18.9 million foreign visitors in 2025, surpassing the previous record of 17.5 million in 2019.
- 02Only one-third of tourists travel outside Seoul and the capital region, said Vice Minister Daehyun Kim.
- 03The five regional airports selected are Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Muan and Yangyang.
- 04Over the past 13 years, 1,400 tourism-related local businesses have been established across 147 regions.
- 05Other Asian countries, including China and Malaysia, are also seeing growth in secondary and tertiary city tourism.
02Why it matters
This matters because it aims to spread the economic benefits of tourism to rural communities and reduce overcrowding in Seoul, offering visitors more diverse experiences.
Pulse AIAsk about this story
Answers are generated by AI from the story summary; they are not investment, health or legal advice.
