Jeju Offers Up to 100,000 Won for One-Night Stays on Udo and Marado: Six Islands for an Autumn Getaway

【Financial News Jeju = Jung Yong-bok】 An autumn island tourism support program has begun, offering 100,000 won in government travel assistance to visitors who stay at least one night and spend at least 100,000 won on one of six outlying islands, including Udo and Marado, excluding Jeju’s main island.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Promotion Committee for the “2026 Year of Visiting Islands” on the 9th, applications for the second round of autumn island travel-expense support opened at 10 a.m. the previous day. Applications will be accepted until 6 p.m. on Sept. 21.
Nationwide, the program covers 163 islands that are not connected to the mainland and can be reached by boat. In Jeju, the six eligible islands are Biyangdo Island, Sangchuja-do, Hachuja-do and Udo in Jeju City, as well as Gapado Island and Marado in Seogwipo. Jeju’s main island is not eligible.
Selected travelers must stay on an eligible island for at least two days and one night between Oct. 1 and Nov. 4. One representative per team may apply once. Applications are open not only to families, friends and groups, but also to solo travelers.
The support is 100,000 won per team. To qualify, applicants must spend at least 100,000 won on actual travel expenses, including accommodation, round-trip boat tickets and meals.
Travelers may stay at registered hotels, resorts, pensions or guesthouses on the islands. Camping expenses are also eligible. If the number of applicants exceeds the available support, recipients will be selected by lottery. Applicants will be notified individually by text message.

The money is not paid in advance. After completing their trip, selected applicants must submit documents proving their actual expenses, such as an identification card, a copy of a bankbook, round-trip boarding tickets or boarding receipts, and card receipts, cash receipts or bank-transfer records. If accommodation was booked through an online travel agency, reservation and payment records may also be submitted as supporting documents.
This is the second travel-expense support program launched this year by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety under the “2026 Year of Visiting Islands” initiative. It follows the first round held during the summer vacation season in July and August and was introduced again to channel autumn tourism demand toward the islands.
The second-round support period coincides with the “2026 World Island Exhibition Yeosu Korea,” which opened on the 5th. Separately, Yeosu will provide visitors from other regions with a 50% subsidy on island ferry fares from September through December.
Demand for tourism on Jeju’s outlying islands is already substantial. According to the Jeju Tourism Organization, 591,479 passengers used island-bound vessels from Jeju in July last year. Udo accounted for most of them, with 551,784 passengers, followed by Biyangdo Island with 15,888, Marado with 9,448, Gapado Island with 7,673 and Chuja Island with 6,686.
The program has drawn attention because it requires visitors to stay at least one night rather than merely visit the islands. Its structure is designed to encourage actual spending on accommodation, meals and ferry travel, shifting tourism from day trips toward longer stays. In Jeju, the effects may vary by island because the same support system covers destinations ranging from relatively accessible Udo and Biyangdo Island to Chuja Island, which takes comparatively longer to reach.
Jin Myeong-gi, head of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Local Autonomy Innovation Office, said, "We will provide support so that people who hesitate to travel to islands because of the cost can experience their natural environment, culture and food."
[email protected] Jung Yong-bok Reporter