Yanolja Research

How affordable is it to get around Seoul by taxi? 🚕 A 10 km taxi ride in Seoul costs just $8.65—about one-quarter of the fare in Tokyo ($34.65) and far below London ($39.03) and Berlin ($36.53). Affordable mobility is an important part of a destination’s tourism price competitiveness. Lower transportation costs reduce the cost burden of exploring a city and allow travelers to move more freely between attractions, restaurants, shopping areas, and local neighborhoods. Seoul’s advantage extends beyond taxis. Together with affordable public transportation, Korea offers globally competitive urban mobility costs, strengthening its overall value for international travelers. Want to know more about Korea’s tourism price competitiveness? [Yanolja Research Insights Vol.40] Analysis of Price Competitiveness of Korean Tourist Cities: An International Comparison

Foreign medical spending in South Korea is rising at an unprecedented pace. In H1 2026, medical expenditure by foreign visitors reached KRW 1.19 trillion—6.6 times the level recorded in H1 2019 and up 59.1% year-over-year. With longer stays and higher spending per visitor, medical tourism is emerging as a key driver of high-value tourism in Korea and contributing to higher per capita tourism spending. Want to know more about Korea’s inbound and outbound tourism trends in H1 2026? Read Yanolja Research BRIEF Vol.14 for the full analysis. [Yanolja Research Brief Vol.14] Analysis of Korea's Inbound and Outbound Tourism Performance for H1 2026

Changes in Flights by Route Before and After the Middle East War (YoY) ✈️ Flight growth continued after the Middle East war—but the picture varied sharply by region. South Korea’s international flights remained above year-earlier levels after the conflict began, but regional trends diverged. While Japan, China, the Americas, and Europe continued to record positive growth, flights to Oceania fell 13.5% and those to the Middle East & Africa dropped 43.7% year on year in the post-war period. What explains the divide? Short-haul markets such as Japan and China continued to benefit from solid demand and relatively lower exposure to higher fuel costs, while resilient demand and airline capacity strategies may have supported routes to the Americas and Europe. The decline in weaker markets may also reflect airlines prioritizing limited aircraft and operating resources for routes with more resilient demand. Rather than a broad contraction, the emerging pattern points to a reconfiguration of...

Foreign tourist arrivals to South Korea are holding near the 2 million mark per month. ✈️🇰🇷 In H1 2026, Korea welcomed a record 10.71 million foreign tourists—up 21.3% year-over-year and 26.9% from H1 2019. After exceeding 2 million in March, monthly arrivals remained close to that level through June. The growth was broad-based across source markets, with China, Japan, and Taiwan all recording strong increases. Inbound tourism also expanded beyond the capital region, with arrivals through regional airports and seaports growing substantially compared with 2019. And the momentum continues: July recorded 2.09 million foreign tourist arrivals, the highest monthly figure so far this year. 📄 For an in-depth analysis of Korea’s H1 2026 inbound and outbound tourism performance, read Yanolja Research Brief Vol.14. Vol.14 Analysis of Korea's Inbound and Outbound Tourism Performance for H1 2026 📊 For the latest monthly tourism data, visit the Yanolja Research Data Lab. Yanolja Research Da...

 What makes a city truly attractive to travelers? The 2026 Yanolja Attractiveness Index looks beyond infrastructure and visitor numbers to evaluate tourism cities from the traveler’s perspective. The index combines two key dimensions: 💭 Awareness — How widely is the city known and talked about? ❤️ Attractiveness — How positively do travelers feel about the city? Based on large-scale multilingual social data, the 2026 study evaluated 261 cities worldwide. New York ranked #1 overall, while Osaka ranked #1 in Attractiveness. Seoul placed #5 overall, combining strong global awareness with highly positive evaluations of the actual travel experience. 📊 Explore the full city rankings: Yanolja Attractiveness Index Ranking 📄 Read the full 2026 Yanolja Attractiveness Index report: [Yanolja Research Insights Vol.45] The 2026 Yanolja Attractiveness Index

More courses, more players — and growth is in full swing.🏌️ South Korea’s park golf scene is expanding rapidly. The number of courses grew from 328 in 2022 to 552 in 2025, while Korea Parkgolf Association membership more than doubled from 106,505 to 229,757 over the same period. With both infrastructure and participation accelerating, park golf is emerging as a notable segment of Korea’s broader leisure and golf landscape. Want to know what’s next for South Korea’s golf industry? ⛳ Explore how demographic shifts and macroeconomic trends are reshaping the industry — and what they could mean for its future. [Yanolja Research Insights Vol.29] The Future of the Golf Industry: Demographics and Macroeconomic Trends