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Riding the global K-content wave, interest in visiting South Korea has clearly surged among international travelers. Even better news for regional destinations: searches for flights to airports outside the Seoul metro area are spiking, signaling broader inbound demand.
On the 9th, global travel app Skyscanner released an analysis of first-quarter 2026 inbound travel searches to South Korea based on its search data.
Overall, searches for flights to Incheon, Gimpo and Gimhae International Airports climbed 38% year over year in Q1. By airport, Incheon International Airport rose 28.8%, Gimpo increased 44.1%, and Gimhae International jumped 66%—showing particularly strong gains at regional airports, not just the main gateway.
By country, Japan accounted for the largest share of searches at 48.3%, followed by Taiwan (14.1%), China (6.4%), Thailand (5.6%) and Germany (5.1%). The U.K. (4.8%), Italy (4.5%), Australia (3.9%), Spain (3.7%) and France (3.6%) rounded out the top sources.
City-level data showed Tokyo (30.6%) and Osaka (17.4%) in the top two spots, with other major Asian hubs like Taipei (13.9%), Bangkok (7.3%) and Nagoya (6.5%) also ranking high. European cities such as London (6.0%), Paris (4.3%) and Frankfurt (4.2%) accounted for notable shares as well.
Skyscanner views this trend as a sign that interest in travel to South Korea is spreading beyond the Seoul metro area into regional destinations. Skyscanner travel expert Jessica Min said, “Regional cities with diverse food scenes, distinctive cultural character and convenient transportation networks are catching the eye of foreign travelers.”
She added that Skyscanner offers multi-city and nearby-airport search tools to help travelers plan more efficiently, and that showing train-route information alongside flight results improves access to various domestic regions.
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