South Korea pushes Chinese tourists to regional airports beyond Seoul

In an effort to redistribute visitor traffic, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization arranged a seven-day familiarisation tour for 112 decision-makers from China’s top travel agencies, media outlets and digital platforms. Participants traveled from major Chinese hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Chengdu to six regional destinations—Gyeongju, Gimhae, Daejeon, Samcheok, Jeju and Cheonan—sampling local food, scenery and cultural landmarks.

The program emphasized a seamless travel model that connects inbound flights directly to nearby provincial attractions, offering a fresh, high-value option for Chinese tourists. The itinerary concluded with a business-to-business travel mart at the Andong International Convention Center, where seven provincial and metropolitan governments showcased routes tied to active Chinese flight connections. The event sparked roughly 700 consultations and secured 79 preliminary contracts, while the KTO plans to develop over 100 new group-tour packages centered on regional airports and provide multilingual support for overseas partners.