Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Local tourism policies face next test after Labor Day travel surge
Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young, right, poses with Miryang Deputy Mayor Lee Jeong-gon at Yeongnamru Pavilion in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, Friday, to promote regional tourism. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
By Baek Byung-yeul
Korea’s regional tourism policies are shifting focus toward sustaining long-term visits and local spending, following a sharp rise in domestic travel during the country’s first official May 1 Labor Day holiday, according to government and industry officials Friday.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the number of domestic travelers on May 1 rose 55 percent from a year earlier to 11.63 million, while travel-related credit card spending increased 40 percent, from 532.2 billion won ($355 million) to 743.6 billion won.
The number of travelers heading outside the Seoul metropolitan area jumped 70 percent from 4.05 million to 6.87 million, indicating that the holiday translated into stronger regional tourism demand.
Tourism industry experts said the key challenge now is sustaining that momentum by connecting transportation, lodging, traditional markets and local content into an integrated tourism experience.
“Simply bringing more visitors to regional areas is no longer enough,” an official from a local tourism industry said. “The policy focus is increasingly shifting toward encouraging travelers to stay longer and spend more in the region.”
The tourism ministry is expanding a series of regional tourism initiatives aimed at extending the Labor Day holiday effect into the summer vacation season.
One of the most closely watched programs is the “half-price travel” campaign targeting regions facing population decline. Under the program, travelers receive part of their travel expenses back in the form of local gift certificates.
The policy has drawn strong interest in cities such as Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, where May reservations sold out within a day. Local officials said the initiative has helped increase tourism traffic while boosting participation in local digital residency programs.
Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young recently visited Miryang to review these regional tourism and cultural projects, including the half-price travel initiative, traditional market campaigns and community-based tourism programs.
The ministry is also pushing projects designed to strengthen connections between transportation and regional tourism consumption. Among them is a train circle route program linking railway travel with tourism clusters in southern regions, alongside the K-Tourism Market initiative aimed at revitalizing traditional markets as local destinations.
Kang Jung-won, head of the tourism policy bureau of the culture ministry, said these programs are becoming crucial as the government seeks ways to stimulate domestic spending amid prolonged weakness in local consumption and growing concerns over regional economic decline.
“Despite concerns that high oil prices could dampen travel sentiment, a large number of people still visited regional areas during the Labor Day holiday,” Kang said. “Given that the spending of 62 tourists equals the economic impact of one resident, we will continue expanding programs to boost travel demand and bring vitality back to local communities through tourism.”
The ministry said it plans to expand support measures through a supplementary budget, including additional travel subsidies, lodging discount coupons and youth-focused community tourism programs in non-capital regions.