AI and experience-driven choices to redefine travel in Korea next year
Lotus flowers bloom at Deokjin Park in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
As Korea’s tourism industry looks toward 2026, it is sharpening its focus on personalization, regional travel and experience-driven spending, shaped by shifting traveler behavior, the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and a weaker won that has affected some overseas demand.
Industry data and global surveys suggest that both inbound and outbound travelers are moving away from rigid itineraries in favor of trips that reflect their identities, values and even fantasies, increasingly relying on AI to help decide where to go, what to do and whom to travel with.
More diverse inbound routes and regions
Travel platform Trip.com expects overseas demand for travel to Korea to continue broadening in 2025 and into 2026, with visitors coming from a wider range of departure cities rather than just major hubs.
Bookings to Korea are rising not only in traditional markets like Japan, mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Hong Kong, but also from secondary cities such as Tokushima, Datong, Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Tashkent, where new or expanded direct flights have improved access. This suggests Korea’s inbound market is shifting away from big-city gateways toward a more diversified network of origin points.
Once in Korea, foreign travelers are increasingly stringing together multi-city itineraries instead of staying in a single destination. Trip.com reports growing use of KTX reservations that connect Seoul and Busan with regional cities such as Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province and Daejeon, indicating that more visitors are exploring multiple regions on one trip and treating the country as a multi-stop route rather than a one-city break.
A nighttime view of Hocheon Village on a hillside in Beomcheon-dong, Busan / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
Experience-led itineraries, Busan’s rise
Online behavior from Trip.com also points to a widening gap between what visitors browse and what they actually book.
In the early planning stage, travelers still research classic attractions like N Seoul Tower and popular performances in Myeong-dong, which remain among the most viewed Korean landmarks and cultural offerings.
At the point of purchase, however, bookings tilt toward entertainment and local experiential content, with products like the "Wild Wild Show" and Haeundae Blueline Park drawing strong click-through and reservation numbers.
Interest in Haeundae, Songjeong Beach and other Busan-area attractions is expanding, positioning the port city as a growing content-driven inbound destination rather than just a secondary stop after Seoul.
That trend is likely to strengthen in 2026 as regional tourism boards and operators invest in distinctive, "only there" experiences and as global travelers increasingly seek immersive, story-driven trips.
A road winds through a snowy landscape in Goseong, Gangwon Province. Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
Outbound travel under pressure, but more curated
On the outbound side, Korean travelers are also prioritizing experiences, even as a weak won and high airfares put pressure on demand.
Trip.com data indicate that Korean bookings for tours and attraction tickets abroad jumped 127 percent year-on-year, showing that what people can do at the destination — beyond flights and hotels — is now a key decision factor. Short, high-intensity trips built around clear themes are gaining favor, with Japan and China seeing renewed demand centered on entertainment, theme parks and city-based content.
At the same time, elevated exchange rates are cooling some outbound traffic and pushing travel companies to recalibrate.
Major travel agencies have reported a decline in outbound travel, particularly to Japan and Southeast Asia, prompting them to promote relatively cheaper and comparatively safe options such as tour packages to China, while online platforms have rolled out coupons to help offset higher costs.
Home shopping channels are pivoting further into domestic tourism, sharply increasing airtime for local trips and rail-based products such as winter "snow train" packages to Gangwon Province, as more consumers look for shorter, lower-cost breaks at home.
Visitors stretch under a tree at Garimseong Fortress in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province. Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
2026: value, wellness and AI companions
Major agency Hanatour frames its 2026 forecast around the keyword "M.O.M.E.N.T.U.M.," arguing that travelers’ choices will increasingly start from the self and radiate outward into how they use AI, spend, socialize and construct meaning through travel.
It highlights "mindful value," where people pay more attention to how trips align with their personal values — whether through price-efficiency or premium experiences — with medium- to high-priced packages already accounting for more than half of some sales.
Wellness and nature-focused breaks are expected to expand further under the label "organic vitality," backed by double-digit growth in trekking bookings as travelers seek to restore physical and mental energy in mountains, forests and coastal settings.
At the same time, AI is moving from tool to companion, with Hanatour’s H-AI service seeing user numbers surge as it helps customers search, plan, consult in real time and check fees across the entire journey.
Other forecast themes include "navigating personal taste," as both younger and older generations look for trips tailored to their specific interests; "traveling with new people," with community-style products for travelers in their 20s and 30s expanding rapidly; and "unique storytelling," where expert-led and niche-interest tours sell out quickly because they promise once-in-a-lifetime narratives. A growing taste for "moment seizing" spontaneous trips is also emerging, supported by immersive digital content and live broadcasts that can trigger quick, emotion-led bookings.
The sun sets at Dadaepo Beach in Dadae-dong, Busan. Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
Global trends: fantasy, tech and self-reward
Booking.com’s 2026 Travel Trends report, based on responses from nearly 29,000 travelers in 33 countries including Korea, points to similar shifts in traveler psychology and behavior worldwide.
Globally, trips are becoming a vehicle for self-expression rather than a set of fixed itineraries, with travelers using vacations to explore or perform versions of themselves — from romantic fantasy leads to wellness-focused "future selves."
One headline trend is "romantasy" getaways, where romance and fantasy merge as travelers seek destinations inspired by fictional worlds and storylines. A large majority of Korean respondents say they are interested in trips influenced by romantasy, and more than half are open to role-playing in fantasy-themed environments, signaling growing demand for immersive, narrative-heavy products such as drama-location tours and themed stays.
Technology is a crucial enabler of these experiences. More than four in five Korean travelers in the survey said they already use AI tools to discover fantasy-appropriate accommodations, filming locations and hidden spots, echoing the way Korean agencies and platforms are integrating recommendation engines into trip planning.
Other global trends likely to intersect with Korea’s tourism market include "humanoid" vacation rentals staffed by service robots, relationship "stress test" trips that reveal compatibility under pressure, and "pantry souvenir" travel that builds demand for destinations known for kitchenware, condiments and ingredients.
Booking.com also identifies quiet nature escapes focused on observation rather than activity, astrology-guided "destiny" trips, skin care-centered "glowcations" and nostalgia-driven journeys that revisit places from old photos with the help of AI mapping.
A strong "self-reward" current runs through the report, with many travelers booking trips not to mark external milestones but to recognize personal achievements or lifestyle changes such as sobriety or new health routines.