Korea bets on regional airports to reshape inbound tourism

Officials from the Busan Metropolitan Government and the Busan Tourism Organization welcome passengers arriving at Gimhae International Airport, June 1. Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

• Published Jul 6, 2026 1:55 PM KST

Korea is stepping up efforts to turn regional airports into international tourism gateways, seeking to draw more overseas visitors beyond the Seoul metropolitan area as arrivals through Cheongju and Daegu continue to climb.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Monday they are accelerating the Regional Airport International Tourism Hub initiative, aimed at strengthening regional tourism and easing the concentration of inbound travel through Incheon International Airport.

KTO launched a dedicated task force in April, bringing together 29 departments and regional offices as well as consultative bodies for Cheongju and Daegu airports.

The task force is focused on expanding international air routes, developing regional tourism products and improving infrastructure around regional airports.

Through May, more than 50,000 foreign visitors entered Korea through Cheongju International Airport, an increase of more than 114 percent from the same period last year, the organization said.

Daegu International Airport welcomed more than 46,000 overseas visitors during the same period, driven by expanded overseas marketing efforts.

The organization said it has strengthened partnerships with airlines and travel companies, including China Airlines, Lion Travel, HIS, Peach Aviation, Aero K and T'way Air, to expand international travel demand.

As of the first half of the year, 356 international charter flights are scheduled to arrive at Cheongju and Daegu airports by year-end, exceeding the organization's original target by more than twofold.

The tourism agency also developed 333 locally themed tourism attractions and designed 35 regional and multiprovincial travel routes linked to the two airports.

The itineraries include routes from Cheongju to destinations such as Daejeon's Seongsimdang bakery, the Boryeong Mud Festival and the Taean Marine Healing Center, as well as tours from Daegu to Haein Temple in Hapcheon, the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival and Haedong Yonggung Temple in Busan.

"Cultivating regional airports as international hubs is critical to alleviating the hyper-concentration of tourism in the capital region," said KTO President Park Sung-hyeuck.

The state-led model verified in Cheongju and Daegu this year is slated for a phased expansion to other regional airports nationwide beginning in 2027.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.