[Yanolja Research Brief] Vol.16 The Role of Daegu Airport in Inbound Tourism: Dual-Gateway Strategy for the Gyeongsang Region

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 combined shares of Gyeongju, Ulsan, Pohang, and Andong.

Daegu and Busan Play Different—but Complementary—Roles

Visitor flows from Busan show a different pattern.

Rather than being concentrated in one city, movements from Busan are spread relatively evenly across Gyeongju, Ulsan, Daegu, Changwon, and several other destinations.

This creates two distinct patterns:

• Daegu: an “axis-oriented” structure, strongly connected with Busan
• Busan: a “dispersal-oriented” structure, spreading visitors across multiple destinations

Together, these patterns suggest that the two cities could work as interconnected gateways within a broader Gyeongsang tourism region, rather than operating independently.

Why Daegu Airport Matters Now

The timing is particularly important.

Gimhae Airport handled approximately 10.44 million international passengers in 2025, while further route expansion is becoming increasingly difficult due to capacity constraints. At the same time, the target opening of Gadeokdo New Airport has been postponed to 2035.

Daegu Airport therefore has the potential to play a complementary role in accommodating international demand across the wider region.

Its accessibility strengthens that possibility: Dongdaegu and Busan are connected by KTX in roughly one hour.

From Two Airports to a “Dual-Gateway” Region

A broader approach would position Daegu Airport and the airports serving the Busan area as complementary international gateways.

Under this concept:

• Busan could serve as a gateway for coastal tourism
• Daegu could serve as a gateway for inland tourism
• Major destinations along the Daegu–Gyeongju–Ulsan–Busan corridor could be connected as one travel region

The comparison with Japan’s Kansai region is particularly noteworthy. Kansai uses multiple international gateways to distribute visitors across destinations such as Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara—demonstrating how airports can support tourism at a regional rather than city-by-city scale.

 

Looking Beyond Administrative Boundaries

The bigger opportunity is to rethink what defines a tourism region.

Rather than asking only how many visitors stay within one city or province, the focus can shift toward how travelers move across destinations—and how those movements can create a larger, more competitive tourism ecosystem.

A complementary gateway system linking Daegu and Busan could help expand regional inbound tourism and support the Gyeongsang region’s development as a globally competitive destination.

How could a “Dual-Gateway” strategy reshape tourism across the Gyeongsang region?

Explore the full analysis, supporting data, and policy implications on the Yanolja Research website.

[Yanolja Research Brief Vol.16] The Role of Daegu Airport in Inbound Tourism: Dual-Gateway Strategy for the Gyeongsang Region