85.9% of foreign residents in South Korea plan to travel domestically within a year

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A survey has found that foreign residents in South Korea, who account for about 5% of the country's population, are serving as a bridge for K-tourism.
According to the report on the tourism market among foreigners living in South Korea released on the 13th by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), 69.1% of foreign residents experienced day trips over the past year, while 58.8% took overnight trips. On average, they made 3.7 day trips and 2 overnight trips a year.
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\r\nThey showed strong preferences for enjoying nature and scenery, at 85.7%, and trying local food, at 64.2%. A total of 93.8% said they preferred independent travel, indicating a clear tendency toward self-directed trips. The survey also found that average travel spending per person came to 266,000 won.
By visa status, foreign professionals recorded the highest rate of overnight travel experience, at 74.0%, as well as the highest average number of overnight trips, at 3.11. International students posted the highest day-trip experience rate, at 79.1%. By region, day trips were concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Gyeonggi Province and Seoul, while overnight trips were relatively more popular in non-metropolitan destinations such as Gangwon State, Busan and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
The survey also found strong intent to travel domestically in the future. A total of 85.9% of respondents said they plan to travel within South Korea within a year, with an average of four planned trips annually. In addition, 66.3% said they would invite family members or acquaintances from their home country to visit Korea, suggesting that foreign residents in South Korea also help attract potential inbound tourists.
Kim Seong-eun, head of the Tourism AI and Data Division at KTO, said, "Foreign residents in South Korea are an important source of domestic travel demand and ambassadors who promote the appeal of K-tourism to the world." She added, "We plan to strengthen regional tourism content tailored to foreign residents and expand linked marketing efforts."
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jsm64@fnnews.com Jung Soon-min Reporter