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[Sports Seoul | Reporter Wi Su-jeong] The Korea Tourism Organization (President Park Seong-hyuk, hereafter KTO) will launch a new quarterly report, These Days, Korean Tourism, on the 20th. Blending up-to-the-minute tourism data with on-the-ground marketing insights, the report aims to give the industry practical analysis and actionable recommendations as travel trends shift rapidly.
The debut issue is organized into three parts. The first section breaks down inbound travel after South Korea welcomed 4.74 million foreign visitors in Q1 and, for the first time ever, exceeded 2 million visitors in a single month in March. It analyzes key inbound market characteristics, visitor spending patterns, and travel themes. The piece also covers domestic travel—visitor numbers, spending, and accommodation—to provide a fuller view of both domestic and international tourism flows.
The second section launches a regular column in which experts examine a focused topic each issue. The inaugural topic is cruise tourism, which has rebounded since the pandemic. KTO looks at the growth dynamics of the global cruise market and evaluates the current state and challenges of South Korea’s cruise industry as it approaches 2 million passengers this year. The section also highlights KTO’s successes in attracting cruise lines and its experience developing new ports of call like Incheon and Yeosu.
The third section captures shifts in traveler demand through data. Analyzing domestic spending and telecom data, KTO found that people in their 20s and 30s often seek temples and natural scenery to unplug from daily life, while travelers in their 50s and 60s tend to visit performance halls and art museums to satisfy intellectual curiosity. Using social data from 26 countries, KTO’s inbound trend analysis shows that Korean lifestyle itself is a draw—for example, visitors often move from performances near Gwanghwamun to cafes in Seongsu-dong or plan itineraries centered on Korean-style desserts.
“To prepare strategically for an era of 30 million inbound tourists, the tourism industry needs deep, usable analysis that everyone can rely on,” Park said. “We hope this report becomes an essential decision-making partner for the sector.”
KTO will host the These Days, Korean Tourism Data Seminar on the 19th, a day before the report’s release, to share its key findings with industry stakeholders. The seminar sold out within a day of registration opening, reflecting strong interest from the industry. The report will be available on the Korea Tourism Data Lab website starting the 20th, and future issues will explore core topics like regional airports and medical tourism. wsj0114@sportsseoul.com
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