South Korea Source Tourism Insight Report including International Departures, Domestic Trips, Key Destinations, Trends, Tourist Profiles, Analysis of Consumer Survey Responses, Spend Analysis, Risks and Future Opportunities, 2022 Update

South Korean travelers have embraced the emerging work and travel trend, which typically blends elements of business and leisure. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely accelerated the trend toward working while traveling and will largely benefit domestic destinations such as Seoul, Busan, and Jeju.

The South Korea source tourism market research report provides a thorough insight into South Korea’s domestic and outbound tourism market. It looks at the profiles of South Korean tourists and summarizes the key reasons for their traveling. Moreover, it offers an in-depth analysis of traveler flows, spending patterns, main destination markets, and current and future opportunities for tourism businesses seeking to tap into the South Korea outbound travel market.

What are the major South Korea tourism market drivers?

South Korea’s younger generation is likely to turn to online social media sources and platforms to conduct travel research. However, South Korea differs from other markets in how they conduct travel research. South Koreans use the popular NAVER portal, which features a NAVER Blog and a NAVER Café, as an online forum. Furthermore, Kakao Story, the Korean version of Instagram, is very popular with both Korean travelers and travel influencers. As Korean tourists plan their trips, many check Kakao Story influencers to look for ideas about where to visit. While using Naver, as opposed to popular search engine, Google, may present a challenge understanding this platform is a major opportunity.

What was the impact of COVID-19 on the South Korea tourism market?

South Korea was one of the first countries to experience a COVID-19 outbreak, with its first case, imported from Wuhan, China, reported on January 20, 2020. The government activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters within a few days. Building on its experience handling Middle East respiratory syndrome, South Korea was able to flatten the epidemic curve quickly without closing businesses, issuing stay-at-home orders, or implementing many of the stricter measures adopted by other high-income countries until late 2020. It achieved this success by developing clear guidelines for the public, conducting comprehensive testing and contact tracing, and supporting people in quarantine to make compliance easier. The country successfully managed outbreaks in March 2020 and August 2020 and gradually gained control of a larger, more dispersed outbreak in December 2020.

South Korea lifted almost all its COVID-19 precautions on April 18, 2022. A midnight curfew on restaurants and other businesses was removed, along with a cap of 10 people allowed to gather. People were also allowed to eat snacks in cinemas and other indoor public facilities such as stadiums. However, they are still required to wear masks.

What are the key segments in the South Korea tourism market?

The key segments in the South Korea tourism market are domestic tourism and outbound tourism.

Domestic Tourism Market in South Korea

Domestic travel by land was the most popular option in 2021. Furthermore, as an alternative to traditional touring, recreational vehicles have grown in popularity among South Korean travelers. The rising demand for self-drive travel is boosted and facilitated by South Korea’s extensive and well-kept system of roads.

Outbound Tourism Market in South Korea

Before COVID-19, South Korean outbound tourism had grown to become the third-largest source market in the APAC region in 2019. The rapid growth in outbound tourism from South Korea had been spurred by travelers increasingly choosing to venture farther afield owing to more flexibility in international travel requirements, visas, increasing interest in exploring new destinations, greater air connectivity, rising incomes, and government initiatives that have allowed South Koreans to have more free time.

South Korea Source Tourism Market Analysis by Segments

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What are the key types of holidays in the South Korea tourism market?

The key types of holidays in the South Korea tourism market are sun & beach holidays, city break holidays, cultural holidays, gastronomical holidays, wellness/medical holidays, multi-stop trip holidays, cruise holidays, visiting friends or family, adventure/sports, eco holidays, religious holidays, LGBTQIA+, and wedding-related holidays.

South Korea Source Tourism Market Analysis by Types of Holidays

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Market report scope

Scope

• This report is part of GlobalData’s Source Market Insights Series. This report provides an in-depth analysis of traveler flows, spending patterns, main destination markets, as well as current and future opportunities for tourism businesses seeking to tap into the South Korean outbound travel market.

Reasons to Buy

• This report provides a clear insight into developments in South Korea’s domestic and outbound tourism markets.
• The report uses data and analysis to discuss future trends related to domestic trips, international departures, traveler spending, and main destination markets.
• The report explores the different profiles of South Korean tourists and the reasons that they travel, hence providing insight into the trends in different segments of the market.
• The reader gains a strong understanding of the opportunities in the country, as well as the risks, to support better business decisions
• This report examines the impact of COVID-19 on South Korea’s outbound and domestic tourism.