Yanolja Research

South Korea’s Tourism Balance Flips Back into the Red🔻 South Korea’s tourism balance saw a strong recovery in H1 2026, driven by record-high inbound arrivals and high-value drivers like medical tourism. However, after a four-month positive streak from March to June, the balance slipped back into a deficit of -$0.05B in July. 📄 Read the Full H1 Analysis For an in-depth breakdown of inbound growth, spending patterns, and market recovery in the first half of the year, check out Yanolja Research Brief Vol.14: Vol.14 Analysis of Korea's Inbound and Outbound Tourism Performance for H1 2026 🔍 Stay Ahead with Real-Time Data Access the latest travel statistics and monthly data updates on Yanolja DataLab: Datalab Tourism Dashboard

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

Could Daegu Airport Become a Second Gateway to the Gyeongsang Region? Regional airports can do more than connect travelers to a single city. They can also serve as gateways to wider tourism regions. Daegu Airport is a good example. While its core role is to provide international access to Daegu and Gyeongbuk, foreign visitor movements suggest that its tourism reach may extend much further—particularly toward Busan. This raises an important question: Could Daegu and Busan function not as separate tourism markets, but as part of one connected Gyeongsang travel region? A Strong Tourism Corridor Already Connects Daegu and Busan One of the most striking patterns is what foreign visitors do after visiting Daegu. Among movements from Daegu to the major cities included in the analysis: 62.4% were directed toward Busan Gyeongju followed at 15.1% Ulsan accounted for 13.0% Pohang and Andong represented smaller shares In fact, the share moving toward Busan was larger than the co...

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...

What Makes a Festival Truly Competitive? Korea’s festival landscape is growing rapidly. But scale alone does not determine success. What matters more is whether a festival gives visitors a distinctive experience they remember, share, and want to return to . Across Korea, the strongest festivals tend to combine two things: being well known and being genuinely well liked. Korea’s Top Festivals Share a Clear Sense of Place The Seoul International Fireworks Festival ranked first overall among 1,452 festivals evaluated nationwide. Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, Chunhyang Festival, Seoul Lantern Festival, and Boryeong Mud Festival also placed near the top. A common thread among many leading festivals is simple: They give visitors a reason to go to that specific place. Jinhae is closely associated with its cherry blossoms, Namwon’s Chunhyang Festival draws on the Chunhyang story and Gwanghallu, and Boryeong has built a distinctive experience around mud. These locally rooted elements are d...