ONDA releases 2021 Korean hospitality sales data — total accommodation GMV up 46% YoY
ONDA Releases 2021 Annual Hospitality Industry Report (OSI): Domestic Travel Surges, OTAs Lead the Pack
— Total accommodation GMV up 46% YoY in 2021, driven by domestic travel boom
— Pandemic travel restrictions and vaccine rollout fuel surge in staycations
— E-commerce and portal platforms stall while Korean and global OTAs climb sharply; Agoda GMV up 423% YoY
— Demand for high-end pensions and private pool villas stays strong; hotels and resorts inch up with recovery expected in 2022
— Jeju and Gyeongbuk coastal and inland properties see sharp gains, while Seoul metro and major cities lag
(Press Release — January 27, 2022) Korea's hotel and accommodation sector exploded in 2021 as the pandemic kept borders shut and pent-up travel demand pivoted domestic.
According to the 2021 Onda Stay Index (OSI) released today by hospitality tech company ONDA, total accommodation GMV rose 46% YoY and 61% compared to 2019. Luxury properties absorbed outbound travel budgets, and both Korean and global OTAs posted standout growth.
Across property types, the overall trend was up. Social distancing fueled demand for private spaces, and travelers who once saved for international trips splurged on accommodations. Pool villas surged 120% YoY, and pensions rose over 60%.
Looking at online sales channels via the ONDA platform, OTA market share climbed sharply. In 2019, e-commerce platforms accounted for 59.7% of total GMV; that share fell to 42.4% in 2021. Over the same period, domestic OTAs grew from 6.9% to 21.9%, and global OTAs went from 2.3% to 11.2%.
As Korea entered the "living with COVID" era, travel-focused OTAs concentrated staffing and resources domestically, while e-commerce platforms — which once dominated accommodation sales — scaled back travel investment. Momentum naturally shifted to the OTA specialists.
Global OTA growth is especially striking. Agoda's GMV jumped 423% YoY, and Airbnb climbed 160%. Both doubled down on Korea marketing while international borders stayed closed, and they're expected to sustain this momentum in 2022.
Hotels, resorts, and motels — hit hardest by the crisis — began recovering in H2 2021, and a stronger rebound is anticipated this year.
By province, Jeju led GMV by a wide margin. As Korea's go-to substitute for overseas travel — complete with flights, beaches, and honeymoon packages — Jeju's GMV tripled versus 2019. Gyeongbuk posted 227% growth YoY, driven by coastal destinations like Pohang and rising demand for inland camping and glamping.
Meanwhile, Seoul and Gyeonggi grew only 10%, and other major metro areas like Busan and Daejeon remained sluggish. Urban markets depend on hotels, which suffered from the collapse in inbound tourism. But aggressive hotel promotions suggest a comeback is within reach this year.
At the city level, Jeju-si and Seogwipo dominated, while Yongin, Gyeongju, Pohang, Yeongcheon, Boryeong, and Yeosu all grew 80–100% YoY, establishing themselves as regional tourism hubs. By contrast, Yangpyeong and Ansan in Gyeonggi actually declined.
"Even though the pandemic kept international skies mostly closed in 2021, the domestic travel boom has been a net positive for regional tourism and accommodation," said Kim Ki-wook, Head of ONDA Data Lab. "With platform companies and local governments rolling out new strategies to boost domestic tourism, we expect continued industry growth this year — within safe pandemic protocols."
The Onda Stay Index (OSI) tracks YoY trends in Korea's accommodation sector using real sales data from ONDA's GDS platform: ~50,000 properties nationwide and 5.8 million actual transactions. ONDA publishes the index quarterly.
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