"How About a Unique Experience This Summer?"... Half-Price Rural Trains and Experience Discounts [Essentials of Benefits]

Eligible Regions Expanded from 33 to 88
Up to 40% Off Bus Fares, 50% Off Train Tickets

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#Mr. A, an office worker living in Seoul, was searching for travel discounts for a unique summer trip when he came across the Rural Tour Pass. Interested by the explanation that he could receive both rural experience and transportation discounts, he decided to look up the available regions and products.

AI-generated image to assist in understanding the article. ChatGPT

If you are looking for a unique experience this summer, it’s worth checking out the Rural Tour Pass. You can save on transportation costs to your destination while enjoying local food, nature, and activities such as traditional liquor breweries, horseback riding facilities, farm-to-table restaurants, and healing farms.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has been operating the 2026 Rural Tour Pass since July 1, combining rural tourism resources with public transportation discounts. This year, the program has expanded to include more regions, participating merchants, and types of passes.

However, purchasing a pass does not mean you will receive the same benefits on all rural-bound transportation and tourist facilities nationwide. Conditions vary depending on the destination, route, purchase channel, and affiliated merchants, so you need to check whether benefits apply before making payment.

About 200 Participating Locations: Breweries, Horseback Riding, Farm Restaurants, and More

The eligible regions for the Rural Tour Pass have expanded from 33 cities and counties with population decline last year to 88 cities and counties this year, including both population decline and priority areas. The products are offered across seven regions: Gangwon, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, North Jeolla, South Jeolla, North Chungcheong, and South Chungcheong.

The pass gives you access to a wide range of tourism resources. These include rural experience villages, brewery tours where you can experience the traditional liquor-making process, rural horseback riding facilities, pasture-based livestock farms, farm-to-table restaurants, rural educational farms, and healing farms.

This year, 14 major rural tourism resources have been newly added, along with the K-Gastronomy Belt and regional attractions recommended by local governments. Currently, about 200 businesses are participating as affiliated merchants, and the number is expected to increase further.

When you purchase a pass, you can use the affiliated merchants in the selected region for experiences, food, and tourism services—each with their own conditions. Prices, included experiences, and available benefits vary by region and product. Some programs operate on set days or require separate reservations, so be sure to check before you visit.

Up to 50% Off Rural-Bound Trains, Up to 40% Off Buses

Citizens boarding the KTX train. Photo by The Asia Business Daily DB

The most notable benefit of the Rural Tour Pass is the public transportation discount. If you buy the pass, you can receive up to 40% off intercity and express bus fares, up to a maximum discount of 10,000 won, when traveling to the eligible regions.

Train discounts apply when you purchase the Rural Tour Pass through the KorailTalk app. You can get a 50% discount on train fares to 20 designated population decline areas, but not all rural-bound trains are included. You should first enter your travel date and destination to check if the discount applies.

The Rural Tour Pass can be purchased through Naver, TmoneyGO, KorailTalk, and other channels, with more sales channels to be added. Details on eligible regions, participating merchants, and product prices are available on the rural tourism website 'Wellchon' and through each sales channel. It’s wise to review linked products and discount conditions before purchasing tickets.

Time-Based Passes for Day Trips, Quantity Passes for Multiple Visits

Rural Tour Pass. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

The Rural Tour Pass offers two options according to your travel schedule: time-based passes and quantity-based passes. The time-based pass allows you to use affiliated merchants for either 12 or 24 hours. It’s suitable for those who want to visit multiple experience facilities and restaurants in a day, or focus on exploring one region intensively.

The newly introduced quantity-based pass is available in options of one, three, or five uses. These can be used within 60 days, making them ideal for people who plan to revisit the same region multiple times over a period.

After selecting and paying for your desired region and product, a mobile ticket will be issued. The time-based pass expires after the allotted time once you start using it. Quantity-based passes cannot be used for any remaining uses after the 60-day validity period. Consider your travel plans and the merchants you wish to visit before choosing your pass.

If you’re planning a trip to experience local food, culture, and nature instead of your usual vacation spot, the Rural Tour Pass is worth considering. By first choosing the experiences you want, then comparing passes and transportation options, you can reduce travel costs while enjoying the unique charms of rural areas that are usually hard to access.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.