K-Tourism Routes Link Local Gems via Cheongju and Daegu Airports
Creatrip Team
20 days ago
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture and Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) launched a task force to turn regional airports—especially Cheongju and Daegu—into international tourism hubs. The TF, involving 29 KTO departments and local partners, aims to expand air routes, create wide-area travel itineraries, and improve airport-linked infrastructure. Irregular (charter) flights to these airports are up to 356 through year-end, exceeding targets, and early arrivals via Cheongju and Daegu have risen strongly year‑on‑year. KTO has identified 333 local-specialty attractions and designed 35 regional and super-regional tour courses: examples include a Cheongju route visiting Daejeon’s Seongsimdang (성심당, a famous bakery), Boryeong Mud Festival (머드축제), and Taean marine healing center; and a Daegu route to Haeinsa temple (해인사), Jinju Lantern Festival (유등축제), and Busan Haedong Yonggungsa temple. KTO is partnering with airlines and overseas travel offices, supplying a toolkit for travel companies with local transport, lodging, shopping, and incentives, and improving last-mile services (regional shuttle/DRT buses, QR/NFC payments, luggage delivery, unmanned currency exchange, post‑arrival duty‑free kiosks). The initiative will be evaluated in Cheongju and Daegu this year, with plans to expand the model to other regional airports from 2027 to diversify inbound entry points beyond Incheon and boost local tourism.
