Foreign Visitors Spread Beyond Seoul: Jeju and Gyeongbuk See Gains from Drama and APEC
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Foreign tourists to South Korea are visiting a wider range of regions beyond Seoul, with notable increases in Jeju and parts of the southeast. Jeju’s share of foreign visits rose to 10.5% in Q3, aided by better flight connections and the hit TV drama “Poksak Soksassuda” (a Korean series) that popularized the island—visitors surged from April through July. Gyeongbuk (North Gyeongsang)—centered on Gyeongju—saw gains attributed to international exposure and advance activity around the APEC summit, while Gyeongnam (South Gyeongsang) benefited as cruise recovery and promoted stay-and-connect packages spread demand from Busan to coastal destinations. Despite regional growth, Seoul remains dominant with a 77.3% visit share in Q3, and the Seoul–Gyeonggi metropolitan area still accounts for 88.6% of foreign visits. Authorities say they are working with local governments to boost provincial tourism infrastructure ahead of the 2025 APEC meeting.
