Skip to main content

Posts

Yanolja Research Director SooCheong Jang Featured in The Washington Post

SooCheong Jang, Director of Yanolja Research and Professor at Purdue University, was featured in The Washington Post on November 11, 2026. In the interview, Jang discussed how tighter short-term rental regulations are driving Airbnb’s expansion into hotels. Read the full article to explore his perspective on this shift in the lodging industry. 👉  Why is Airbnb suddenly listing so many hotels? - The Washington Post
Post a Comment
Read more
Recent posts

[YARI Data Snapshot] Who Tops the Foreign Guest List at South Korea's Hotels and Motels?

 🏨 Who Are The Top International Guests at South Korea's Hotels and Motels? 🌏 China ranked first in Yanolja Research's Q3 2026 lodging industry survey. Among properties hosting foreign guests, 49.0% of hotel operators and 53.2% of motel operators named China as their primary foreign guest market, followed by Japan at 15.6% and 13.4%. 💡 How is inbound tourism growth reaching South Korea's lodging industry? Yanolja Research's Q3 2026 report explores differences by property type and region, alongside room rate changes, challenges in serving foreign guests, and policy needs. 🔎 Explore the full report: Korean Lodging Industry Trends Report for Q3 2026
Post a Comment
Read more

[YARI Data Snapshot] Tourists Are Back. Duty-Free Sales Aren't

 Monthly Duty-Free Sales to Foreign Visitors (USD Billion) South Korea is welcoming more international visitors than ever, but its duty-free industry is telling a very different story. 📊 Monthly duty-free sales to foreign visitors peaked at around USD 1.7 billion in 2019. By September 2026, sales stood at approximately USD 550 million—less than one-third of that peak! 💡 Despite the recovery in inbound tourism, duty-free sales have remained far below pre-pandemic highs. More visitors don't necessarily mean more spending at duty-free stores. 🔎 Curious about the bigger picture? Explore Yanolja Research Data Lab for more tourism statistics, monthly trends, and interactive dashboards tracking South Korea's tourism industry!
Post a Comment
Read more

[YARI Data Snapshot] KSPO Dome: The Show Goes On—and On

🎤 KSPO Dome: More Shows, More Fans! 🏟️📈 South Korea’s iconic indoor concert venue, KSPO Dome, has seen remarkable growth in both performances and ticket sales. But just how much has changed over the past five years? 📊 Annual Performances & Tickets Sold at KSPO Dome 🔸 2021: 15 performances | 56,333 tickets 🔸 2022: 46 performances | 344,217 tickets 🔸 2023: 89 performances | 809,830 tickets 🔸 2024: 100 performances | 857,631 tickets 🔸 2025: 117 performances | 1,151,114 tickets 🔸 2026 YTD: 109 performances | 1,063,759 tickets 💡 In 2025, KSPO Dome hosted nearly 8 times as many performances as in 2021, while ticket sales surged more than 20-fold! By October 18, 2026, the venue had already hosted 109 performances and sold over 1 million tickets. Yet South Korea's major indoor concert venues still have seating capacities below 20,000. As demand for large-scale concerts continues to grow, a bigger question emerges: Could building a new 50,000-seat concert venue meet rising de...
Post a Comment
Read more

[YARI Data Snapshot] South Korea’s Tourism Boom: How High Can It Go?

South Korea’s inbound tourism is reaching new heights! 📈 In August 2026, South Korea welcomed 2.25 million international visitors—the highest monthly figure recorded so far this year. 📊 A look at the numbers: 🔸 January 2026: 1.27 million visitors 🔸 March 2026: 2.05 million 🔸 July 2026: 2.09 million 🔸 August 2026: 2.25 million 🔸 September 2026: 2.06 million 💡 The bigger picture? International visitor arrivals in 2026 have exceeded 2025 levels every month through September, highlighting the continued momentum of South Korea’s inbound tourism recovery and growth. 🔎 Curious to see more of South Korea’s tourism trends? Explore the latest tourism statistics and interactive dashboards on Yanolja Research Data Lab. Dive deeper into the data and discover the trends shaping Korea’s tourism industry! Yanolja Research Datalab
Post a Comment
Read more

[Yanolja Research Korean Lodging Trends] Korean Lodging Industry Trends Report for Q3 2026

   Trend. Q3 2026 Trends in the Lodging Industry Performance by Lodging Type in Q3 2026 Compared to Q3 2025 Performance by Lodging Type in Q3 2026 Compared to Q2 2026 Lodging Business Outlook Index of Q4 2026 Changes in Operational Status by Property Type 1. Hotel Hotel Operating Status by Region and Star Rating 2. Motel Motel Operating Status by Region 3. Pension Pension Operating Status by Region 4. Vacation Rental Vacation Rental Operating Status by Region Issue. Inbound Tourism Growth and Perceptions in the Domestic Lodging Industry Inbound Tourism Demand Trends Perceived Impact by Property Type Perceived Impact by Hotel Star Rating Perceived Impact by Region Perceived Impact by Guest Nationality Room Rate Changes Key Drivers of Room Rate Increase Challenges in Serving Foreign Guests Future Outlook and Policy Needs Yanolja Research Korean Lodging Industry Trends Report for Q3 2026
Post a Comment
Read more

[YARI Data Snapshot] Built for Thousands, Drawing Tens of Thousands! 🎤

 South Korea’s major indoor concert venues are hosting far more fans across multiple shows than their seating capacities might suggest. But what does this reveal about the country’s concert infrastructure? 📊 According to Yanolja Research’s analysis of 2025 concert ticket sales: 🔸 KSPO Dome: 15,000 seats | 28,778 tickets sold per concert series 🔸 Gocheok Sky Dome: 16,744 seats | 36,388 tickets sold 🔸 Jamsil Arena: 11,032 seats | 13,723 tickets sold 🔸 INSPIRE Arena: 14,483 seats | 12,998 tickets sold 🔸 Busan Sajik Arena: 14,099 seats | 8,846 tickets sold 💡 At Gocheok Sky Dome, average cumulative ticket sales per concert series were more than twice its registered seating capacity. At KSPO Dome, they were nearly twice as high. These figures reflect ticket sales across multiple performances, not attendance at a single show. Still, they highlight how major concerts attract substantial audiences through multi-night runs. 🚨 The challenge? South Korea has only six major indoor venue...
Post a Comment
Read more