Korea has unveiled a plan to build regional travel zones around five airport hubs in Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Yangyang and Muan to draw foreign tourists beyond Seoul and Jeju. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will spend 93.5 billion won starting in 2027 on transport links, transit-and-shopping passes and overseas marketing. Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said the goal is to double regional airport arrivals to 5 million a year by 2029.
Gimhae International Airport / Yonhap
Seeking to break a long-standing concentration of international tourism in its capital corridor, Korea has unveiled an ambitious strategy to route millions of incoming travelers directly into its provinces through five designated regional airport hubs.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday that it will establish broad regional travel zones anchored by international airports in Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Yangyang and Muan. The government plans to deploy 93.5 billion won ($70 million) starting in 2027 to build seamless transport networks, launch unified transit-and-shopping passes and market historical and ecological circuits abroad.
The policy shift comes as Korea experiences record-setting foreign arrivals driven by global enthusiasm for Korean pop culture, food and content. Yet the economic windfall remains sharply uneven. The vast majority of overseas tourists rarely venture past Seoul or Jeju Island, leaving historic inland regions and coastal cities with underutilized infrastructure and shrinking local populations.
