Seoul Faces Severe Hotel Shortage Ahead of 2027 Mega Events
Creatrip Team
20 days ago
Seoul expects up to 1.52 million visitors next year from two major events — the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD) and the 2027 K-Culture festival ‘Phenomenon’ — including about 600,000 foreign attendees. However, the city’s accommodation market is already near capacity: Seoul has an estimated 88,199 rooms across hotels, motels, hostels and other facilities, with an average occupancy (OCC) of 84.5%, leaving only about 13,670 vacant rooms per day. New hotel supply remains limited (roughly 1,000 rooms per year since 2023), and there is no integrated statistic showing how many extra visitors Seoul can actually host at peak times. Organizers plan to use homestays, Catholic parishes, schools and gymnasiums to house and feed around 500,000 WYD participants, but demand from accompanying family, clergy and press means pressure on hotels and guesthouses will persist. Industry voices urge regulatory updates to allow safe use of shared accommodations, university dorms and idle facilities to cope with the shortfall, including clearer registration and safety standards for temporary lodging.
