Korean Domestic Travelers Now Pick the Region and Stay Before the Sights

Nearly six in ten people planning a domestic trip in South Korea decide on a region or an accommodation before they choose a tourist attraction or a restaurant. A survey by Open Survey, a Korean research firm, found that 37.6% pick the region first and 20.5% pick where to stay first, while only 13.0% start with sights.

The poll, titled the Domestic Travel Trend Report 2026, ran from September 29 to October 8 and covered 2,000 Koreans aged 20 to 69. The planning-order analysis focused on 1,000 people who had taken a domestic trip in the past year.

How Korean Trips Take Shape

Travelers who choose a region first usually look at lodging next, then transport and routes. Those who book a stay first tend to move on to restaurants, cafes and local food, followed by getting around. Food rarely comes first at 11.7%, yet 56.4% include it among their first three decisions, the highest of any item.

Interest in travel types was broad. Healing trips in nature drew 65.8%, and food and cafe trips drew 60.7%. Traditional markets and local culture attracted 38.9%, and stay-focused trips such as hotel vacations drew 33.6%.

Online habits differ by task. Among people who researched regions themselves, 63.5% used Naver search (Korea's dominant portal), 38.6% used YouTube and 24.7% used Instagram. For lodging, travel platforms such as NOL, Yeogi Eottae and Agoda played a larger role.

Among those planning a trip within the next year, Jeju was the most wanted destination at 12.8%, followed by Busan at 11.3%. Government support also targets local spending: the Regional Love Vacation Support program, launched in April, refunds part of travel costs in local gift certificates for trips to rural areas facing population decline.

Why It Matters

For regional tourism, the winning formula is less about a single landmark and more about how easily visitors can connect lodging, food, sights and transport in one place.

Read the original article in Korean: K trendy NEWS