South Korea expands half-price travel program to nine new regions

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization, has selected nine additional regions for its ‘Regional Love Vacation Support’ (half-price travel) program for the autumn season. The new participating areas include Hwacheon-gun, Goseong-gun, Sancheong-gun, Hamyang-gun, Andong-si, Yeongcheon-si, Seocheon-gun, Taean-gun, and Jangheung-gun.

The initiative aims to alleviate travel costs for citizens while attracting visitors to regions facing population decline. Participants can receive a refund of up to half of their travel expenses in the form of mobile local love gift certificates, with limits set at 100,000 KRW for individuals and 140,000 KRW for young adults.

An analysis of the program's first half showed significant economic impact. Out of 5.2 billion KRW in refunds, at least 16.2 billion KRW in local consumption was generated, representing a 3.1-fold return on investment. Spending was distributed across food and beverages (45.5%), accommodation (32.2%), shopping (10.2%), and tourism experiences (6.3%). Additionally, the program successfully stimulated new demand, with 81.2% of users traveling due to the incentive and 56.3% visiting these regions for the first time.