Growing Preference for 'Digging Tourism'
Spreading from Seoul to Other Regions
Chinese tourists visiting Gyeongbokgung in Jongno-gu, Seoul are enjoying themselves. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
Eight out of ten foreign tourists visiting Korea said they intend to revisit within the next year. The survey also found that the more often they return, the more they prefer so-called "digging tourism," in which they directly learn and explore Korean culture through activities such as K-pop dance, makeup lessons, and Korean cooking classes.
On the 26th, inbound platform Creatrip announced that it conducted a "Comprehensive Survey on the Perceptions of Foreign Tourists Visiting Korea" from February 7 to 15, targeting 100 foreign tourists using its application (app) and website. As a result, 79% of respondents said they would visit Korea again within the next year.
The proportion of "regular tourists" who have visited Korea three or more times in the past three years also reached 45% of the total, and it was confirmed that, upon revisiting, their travel radius expands from Seoul to other regions. As for satisfaction with using the Creatrip app, 72% of respondents gave it a score of 4 or higher, confirming the high level of trust among foreign tourists.
Seventy-nine percent of respondents to the perception survey gave a positive answer when asked whether they intended to revisit Korea within the next year. The number of visits to Korea over the past three years was evenly distributed from one to four or more, and the proportion of regular tourists who had visited three or more times stood at 45% of the total. This serves as evidence that Korea is no longer just a one-off destination, but is being revisited repeatedly as an everyday travel destination according to individual preferences.
"I want to go to a dermatology clinic and hair salon"... Rise of 'digging tourism'
The products foreign visitors to Korea most looked forward to were concentrated in the K-beauty and medical fields, such as dermatology clinics (22%), hair salons (20%), and makeup (19%). In the satisfaction survey as well, skin procedures (23%) ranked first, once again proving that beauty and medical services are a key driving force behind tourism to Korea.
Notably, "specialized experiential" products such as K-pop dance classes (20%), makeup lessons (18%), and Korean cooking classes (16%) closely followed. Unlike in the past, when interest was heavily skewed toward beauty and medical services, this shows that so-called digging tourism (Digging, immersion) - in which visitors directly learn and acquire Korean lifestyle and explore its culture in depth - is emerging as the mainstream form of travel to Korea.
The survey found that as the number of visits increases, the regions foreign tourists wish to visit expand beyond Seoul to other provinces. Among desired destinations for revisits, Busan ranked first with 70%, while interest was also spread evenly across the country to places such as Jeju, Jeonju, Gyeongju, and Yeosu. In particular, Gyeongju was frequently mentioned by tourists who had visited Korea three or more times, confirming a pattern in which interest in Korea's history and traditional culture grows as the number of visits accumulates.
This trend is aligning with "local digging," which delves deeply into local life and culture, and is translating into the popularity of region-specific programs. In fact, foreign visitors cited experiences that combine each city's symbolic content as services they hope will be further developed, such as the Daegu Yakryeongsi traditional medicine tour, hanok stays in Gyeongju, and Jeonju bibimbap and hanji crafts. It is analyzed that such unique content, which can only be enjoyed in a specific region, will serve as an incentive to drive the revitalization of tourism in provincial areas going forward.
Creatrip CEO Lim Hyemin said, "As Korean content becomes more sophisticated globally, the interests of foreign tourists are being segmented to an expert level. In particular, this survey showed that Creatrip received very high evaluations from tourists for quickly reflecting local trends and enhancing booking convenience. Based on this, we plan to continue discovering specialized experiential products that allow individuals to deeply experience and realize their distinct tastes, by utilizing hidden local resources across the country, not only in Seoul."
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