[Edaily Reporter LEE SEON-WOO ] Fukuoka, Japan—the “closest overseas travel destination” reachable by plane in about an hour from Incheon and Busan—is launching an accommodation discount campaign for foreign tourists. According to local media outlets such as the Nikkei on the 17th, Fukuoka Prefecture launched the “Go! Fukuoka” campaign on the 7th to offer discounts on accommodation costs for foreign tourists staying in the region.
Under this program, foreign tourists staying at local hotels receive a discount of 3,000 yen (approximately 27,000 won) per night per person. With a total budget of 231 million yen (approximately 2.1 billion won), the discount is applied based on the length of stay per person. If two people—such as family members or friends—visit for a 4-night, 5-day trip, they can receive a discount of 12,000 yen per person, for a total of 24,000 yen (approximately 220,000 won). This amount is comparable to the lowest round-trip airfare price for a major route (Incheon–Fukuoka), which averages in the mid-200,000 won range.
Fukuoka, Japan’s eighth-most populous city, is the largest city in the southwestern Kyushu region. With flight distances of 200 km from Busan’s Gimhae Airport and 540 km from Incheon International Airport, the short flight distances mean the burden of fuel surcharges caused by rising oil prices is relatively low. The fuel surcharge for one-way flights to Fukuoka, which rose nearly sevenfold from 7,000 won (Level 4) to 46,400 won (Level 19) between July and August of last year, will drop to 35,200 won (Level 14) starting August 1.

The “Go! Fukuoka” accommodation discount applies only to lodging facilities in 58 of the 60 cities, towns, and villages within Fukuoka Prefecture—excluding Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City. This measure is intended to disperse the concentration of foreign tourist demand in Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City across the entire prefecture. As of last year, 90% of all foreign tourists visiting Fukuoka Prefecture were concentrated in Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City.
The accommodation discount is available when booking through the global online travel platforms (OTAs) “Agoda” and “Trip.com.” Starting in late July, “Expedia” will be added to the list of online booking platforms offering this discount. The promotion runs through February 28 of next year. An official from Fukuoka Prefecture stated, “There are various hidden travel destinations outside of Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City, such as ‘Dazaifu,’ home to the Kyushu National Museum; ‘Itoshima,’ famous for its emerald-colored sea and beachside cafes; and ‘Yanagawa,’ known as the ‘Venice of Japan’ or the ‘City of Water,’” and “We expect this accommodation discount program to serve as an opportunity to increase interest in and visits to the Fukuoka region’s hidden travel destinations.”