Korea Airports Corporation Invests 480 Million Won to Attract Foreign Tourists to Regional Areas

Discount Coupons for Chinese and Japanese Passengers

Marketing Leveraging the Drama 'Spring Fever'

Inland Route Fare Support for the Yeosu World Island Exhibition

Korea Airports Corporation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has launched efforts to attract more foreign tourists through regional airports.

On September 7, Korea Airports Corporation announced plans to implement three major promotional campaigns totaling 480 million won, aiming to ease the concentration of air traffic at metropolitan airports and revitalize regional economies.

At the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting held in February, the government selected the inbound hub development of regional airports as a key policy initiative. According to the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, as of last year, over 80% of international tourists arrived via metropolitan area airports such as Incheon International Airport (73.8%) and Gimpo International Airport (7.3%). In contrast, the share of regional airports was significantly lower—Gimhae International Airport (9.3%), Jeju International Airport (8.2%), Daegu International Airport (0.7%), and Cheongju International Airport (0.6%).

The corporation will first launch an air ticket discount promotion worth 350 million won, targeting Chinese and Japanese tourists. To capture demand during China's National Day holiday (October 1–7), they are partnering with Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency (OTA), to provide individual coupons worth up to approximately 210,000 won per person. The event runs from today until November 6. All routes from China to Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju, and Daegu are eligible. Passengers with a history of booking international flights to metropolitan airports on Ctrip will also receive additional discounts on eight domestic transfer routes, such as Incheon–Jeju and Gimpo–regional airports.

For Japanese travelers, a similar promotion will run until November 6 via Japan's Trip.com site. All routes from Japan to Gimpo and regional airports are included, with fare discounts of up to approximately 240,000 won per person. The additional domestic flight discount conditions are identical to those offered in the Chinese promotion.

The corporation is also utilizing K-content for regional tourism marketing. Starting September 9, in cooperation with the Japanese site of the travel platform TripAdvisor, it will introduce Pohang filming locations and tourism content linked to the drama 'Spring Fever,' which was shot entirely on location in Pohang. The campaign includes guidance on itineraries via regional airports and reservation links for local travel products such as one-day Pohang tours, encouraging actual visits.

Additionally, the corporation is promoting inland routes in conjunction with the 2026 Yeosu World Island Exhibition. A total of 70 million won will be invested to fully cover the cost of purchasing Gimpo–Yeosu domestic air tickets for 17 travel agencies, including the exhibition's official and partner agencies. The support limit is up to 20 million won per agency.

Heo Juhui, Head of Glocal Business Division at Korea Airports Corporation, said, "Through these promotions, we aim to enhance the international profile of regional airports and establish a virtuous cycle where increased use of regional airports translates into longer stays and greater spending in local areas. We will continue to launch integrated air and tourism marketing campaigns to consistently attract foreign tourists to regional airports."

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