Korea rolls out lodging discounts to revive shrinking regional economies

A promotional poster for the 2026 Summer Lodging Sale Festa / Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Korea will hand out 300,000 lodging discount coupons this summer in a sweeping push to steer travelers beyond the capital region and into rural communities struggling with population decline.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that it will launch the “2026 Summer Lodging Sale Festa” from Thursday, June 11, through Friday, July 31, offering discounted accommodations in 85 regions outside the capital that have been designated as depopulation risk areas.

The program is designed to stimulate domestic tourism during the summer season while injecting new spending into local economies facing demographic decline.

Under the program, travelers booking one-night stays can receive discounts of 20,000 won ($13) or 30,000 won depending on the price of the lodging package.

New discounts introduced this year offer up to 70,000 won off accommodations for consecutive stays of two nights or more.

Officials said the expanded discounts are intended to ease travel costs while encouraging higher spending at local businesses.

Eligible accommodations include hotels, resorts, condos and pensions located in the 85 participating regions.

Day-use lodging products and unregistered facilities are excluded from the promotion.

The coupons will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis through online travel agency platforms beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday. Koreans who are 19 or older may receive one coupon per person.

Reservations using the coupons must be completed between 10 a.m. on the day of issuance and 7 a.m. the following day.

Kang Dong-jin, the ministry’s tourism policy director, said the campaign aims to lower travel expenses while bringing economic energy back to regions hit hard by population loss.

“We hope more people will stay an extra day this summer and rediscover the charm of regional Korea,” Kang said.

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