[Edaily Reporter LEE MINHA ] “The success or failure of the era of 30 million inbound tourists depends not on the number of arrivals, but on how effectively we can distribute them across regional areas.”
Son Shin-wook, an associate researcher at the Korea Culture and Tourism Research Institute, who recently gave a presentation titled “Current Status and Development Strategies for Regional Tourism Transportation” at the Korean Tourism Association’s academic conference, diagnosed the problem as follows: “The issue is not a lack of regional tourism content, but rather that the process of traveling to these regions is being hindered.”
The number of foreign visitors is on the rise as the government works toward its goal of “30 million foreign tourists by 2030.” Last year, the number of foreign visitors to Korea reached a record high of 18.94 million, and it is expected to surpass 20 million this year.
However, the proportion of foreign tourists visiting the Seoul Metropolitan Area has actually increased, from 80.7% in 2019 to 81.7% in 2025. While the overall number of foreign tourists has grown, the marginalization of regional areas has actually deepened. Associate Research Fellow Son pointed out, “It is time to ask, with a clear head, how much the regional economies have actually grown behind these record-breaking achievements in attracting foreign tourists.”
This concentration in the Seoul Metropolitan Area begins at the point of entry. While 67.3% of international visitors enter through Incheon International Airport, the utilization rates of regional international airports—such as Gimhae (7.2%), Jeju (6.8%), Gimpo (6.4%), and Daegu (0.7%)—remain negligible. Even the few regional routes that have been established are primarily designed to facilitate overseas travel for domestic passengers.

The issue of regional mobility is even more serious. Seoul Station (36.5%) and Busan Station (27.5%) account for more than 60% of all KTX arrival stations for foreign visitors. In contrast, Dongdaegu Station (3.9%), Sin-Gyeongju Station (3.1%), and Daejeon Station (2.7%) all account for only single-digit percentages. Research Fellow Son explained, “Secondary transportation—the connection from the airport or train station to the final tourist destination—currently lacks any system for reservations or guidance.”
Senior Research Fellow Son pointed out that this lack of transportation connectivity leads to economic losses. Visitors who stay only in the Seoul Metropolitan Area spend an average of $1,352 (approximately 1.86 million won), while those who visit only regional areas spend around $992 (approximately 1.36 million won).
In contrast, when visitors combine trips to the Seoul Metropolitan Area and regional areas, their spending rises to $1,844 (approximately 2.54 million won). This is why it is essential to design itineraries that organically link the Seoul Metropolitan Area’s role as a gateway with the experiential stay in regional areas. Research Fellow Son suggested, “Rather than viewing the Seoul Metropolitan Area and regional areas as competitors, we must create journeys that naturally flow from the Seoul Metropolitan Area to regional areas.”
The problem is that this challenge has remained unresolved for 30 years. Since the era of local autonomy began in the 1990s, the budget allocated to regional tourism development projects alone has reached 15 trillion won (across 720 projects), yet criticisms regarding the lack of a regional framework and insufficient inter-ministerial cooperation continue to be raised.
Senior Research Fellow Son pointed out, “What has been lacking is not ideas, but a ‘control tower’ to take full responsibility for and see projects through to the end.” He explained that efforts to attract foreign visitors and manage travel routes are fragmented among the Ministry of Justice (entry), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (transportation), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (tourism), and local governments (regional tourism), meaning there is no single entity responsible for the entire journey.
The government also plans to embark on a second phase of transportation infrastructure improvements. Shim Min-seok, Director of the International Tourism Services Division at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, “The KTX Gongju Station and the shuttle buses connecting Gongju and Buyeo, introduced last year, have seen very high usage rates,” adding, “We plan to pilot an integrated metropolitan transit pass linking the metropolitan transit network with city bus discounts during the second half of this year.”