South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on the 10th that it will develop five regional tourism zones anchored by the airports in Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Yangyang and Muan. The ministry plans to spend 93.5 billion won ($67 million) next year to raise the number of foreign visitors entering through regional airports and seaports to 5 million by 2029, from 2.56 million last year.
The five zones link the Gimhae airport with Busan, Gyeongju, Ulsan, Geoje and Tongyeong; the Daegu airport with Daegu, Gyeongju and Andong; the Cheongju airport with Cheongju, Gongju, Buyeo, Iksan and Jeonju; the Yangyang airport with Yangyang, Gangneung and Sokcho; and the Muan airport with Muan, Mokpo, Gwangju and Yeosu. The Gimhae and Daegu zones will be developed jointly, with Gyeongju serving as the connecting point.
The plan aims to spread foreign tourists beyond the Seoul metropolitan area, where they are now concentrated. The government will use next year's budget to expand international routes at regional airports and add travel products. It will spend 14.3 billion won on attracting foreign tourists through regional airports and seaports and on developing travel products, and allocate 14.9 billion won to improving transport links between cities within the zones and making payments easier. A "Korea Tourism Integrated Pass," combining transit payments with discounts at tourist sites, will also be introduced with the zones as its focus.
Another 18 billion won will go to overseas marketing. Instead of individual local governments each running their own overseas promotions, the plan calls for creating a brand for each zone, with the Korea Tourism Organization and local governments jointly producing overseas advertising and promotional content. A further 18.7 billion won will be spent on developing tourism content tailored to each region.
The ministry said it will draw up medium- to long-term plans for each zone covering 2027 to 2030, working with related ministries, local governments and the Korea Tourism Organization. It will also develop wider tourism zones spanning multiple local governments and prepare measures to link the five regional airports with tourism in the Seoul metropolitan area and Jeju.
