Incheon Airport courts transit passengers with Incheon tourism tie-ins... $100 discount gambit

[Financial News] Incheon International Airport Corporation has rolled out a $100-per-person discount to turn transit passengers who simply pass through the airport into visitors to Incheon. The strategy is to channel transit demand into local tourism spending by offering discounts of up to 50% on transit tickets and free airport lounge passes. With transit passenger numbers surging in the first half of this year—growing at three times the rate of international passengers overall—the airport has begun efforts to attract transit passengers through tourism tie-ins.
Incheon International Airport Corporation said on the 12th that it will run the “Promotion to Boost Local Tourism Linked to Transit Passengers,” offering discounts on regional tourism programs to transit passengers at Incheon Airport, through December 31.
The promotion, which began on the 1st, offers a $100 discount per person to users of transit tours in the Incheon area. Passengers who select the “Self-Guided Incheon Tour Course” on the Incheon Airport Transit Tour website and provide proof of a transit ticket can take the tour for $100 less than the regular price.
Tour participants will also receive a WOWPASS worth 10,000 won, which can be used as both a transit card and a payment card. WOWPASS is a prepaid, reloadable card that foreign tourists can use in Korea.
The tourism program consists of six courses linked with Ibis, Harbor Park Hotel, Best Western, Songdo Hotel, Hyatt, and Paradise, among others. The focus is on encouraging transit passengers to visit local attractions such as Incheon’s Open Port area and Songdo, rather than limiting their stay to the area around the airport.
The promotion is intended to turn the growth in transit passengers into a boost for the local tourism industry. In the first half of this year, transit passenger numbers at Incheon Airport rose 18.1%, about three times the 6.3% increase in international passengers overall. As transit passengers have been increasing faster than other passengers, the need to convert their time at the airport into tourism demand has grown.
Incheon Airport Corporation organized the promotion based on a memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 with Incheon City, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), and the Incheon Tourism Organization, among others. Incheon Airport Corporation and the Incheon Tourism Organization will share the costs, while the KTO will handle overseas promotion.
A fare discount campaign to attract transit passengers directly will also be held. Starting in the fourth week of October and running through December, Incheon Airport Corporation will work with global online travel agency Trip.com and airlines to offer discounts on tickets connecting through Incheon Airport.
Transit tickets connecting through Incheon Airport to China, Japan, and Europe will be offered at a basic discount of 10% to 20% on Trip.com’s event page. In particular, interline tickets linking routes operated by multiple airlines are set to receive discounts of up to about 50%. The plan is to strengthen Incheon Airport’s competitiveness as a transit hub by expanding connections between airlines’ routes.
About 2,400 free lounge-use coupons will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to transit passengers whose airport stay is 24 hours or less. Of these, 500 will be issued through the “Incheon Airport Duty Free” app. The app allows users to reserve and order from food and beverage outlets at the airport as well as purchase duty-free goods.
Through the promotion, Incheon Airport Corporation aims to encourage transit passengers to return and transit through the airport again, while building a virtuous cycle in which growing transit demand leads to increased sales for the local tourism industry.
Lee Sang-yong, head of the New Business Division at Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, “We expect this promotion to strengthen Incheon Airport’s competitiveness as a transit hub and contribute to revitalizing the local tourism industry.” He added, “We will continue to actively support the government’s goal of attracting 30 million foreign tourists by running a range of transit passenger promotions linked to domestic tourism.”
[email protected] Kim Dong-ho Reporter