--- title: "20 years of online search is about to change" description: "AI answer engines pull insights from booking sites, travel blogs, and review platforms — and serve you optimized hotel lists without the manual digging." published: 2024-10-08T00:00:00+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Weekly ON" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/67049ed55e3304f54f56a39d_WeeklyON_vol140_webflow_cover_1200px.png" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=vol-140 locale: en --- # 20 years of online search is about to change ⚠️ All rights reserved. Cite this piece as 'ONDA (온다)' when quoting. --- #### **In this week's Weekly ON** 🏨 20 years of online search is about to change: AI answer engines 💡 75% of Chinese travelers want to visit Korea next ⌨️ #October_long_weekend #August_entry_exit #Jeju_cumulative_visitors #Interestrip #August_e_commerce --- **🏠 Industry Deep Dive** ### **20 years of online search is about to change** Hello Weekly ON readers 😄 Today I want to talk about a search tool I now use more than Google or Naver. ![(Image = Liner)](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/66fcc0da7d6b67e5ebf35453_66fcc04e69dacd0750a92159_AI_20_EB_8B_B5_EB_B3_80_20_EA_B2_80_EC_83_89_20_EC_BD_98_ED_85_90_EC_B8_A0_201.jpeg) Above is what happened when I asked Liner — an AI answer engine — to "recommend places to go with a 24-month-old." It pulls sources from across the web and synthesizes an answer for me. In certain domains, these tools now deliver expert-level responses. Some analysts are cautiously suggesting they could disrupt the search market Google and Naver have dominated for two decades. Even online search is facing a real AI challenger. I use [Liner](https://getliner.com/ko) and [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai/) most. Unlike traditional search engines, these services **find and summarize answers to your question directly from the web**. No more tab-hopping through a dozen sites to piece together what you need. For example: a guest asks, "Recommend a five-star hotel in Gangnam, Seoul." An AI answer engine will scrape booking platforms, travel blogs, and review sites — then **return an optimized hotel list without making you do the legwork**. Here's how traditional search and AI answer engines differ: ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/66fcc1849a232b9f2327a2e1_66fcc17bd27c99a8472a4703_AI_20_EB_8B_B5_EB_B3_80_20_EA_B2_80_EC_83_89_20_EC_BD_98_ED_85_90_EC_B8_A0_202.jpeg) ### 👉[**Read the full story: 20 years of online search is about to change**](https://www.onda.me/blog/20nyeonmane-baggwineun-onrain-geomsaeg-gyeongheom-ai-dabbyeon-geomsaeg?utm_source=stibee&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-2024_10_07) --- **💡 Hospitality Trends** ### **75% of Chinese travelers want to visit Korea next** [**👉\[full story\]**](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20241002_0002907136) Between January and August this year, Korea welcomed ~10.67 million tourists — **93% of 2019 levels for the same period**. More than half came from China (3.18M), Japan (2M), and Taiwan (980K). So what kind of trip are they planning? Incheon International Airport recently surveyed '[potential inbound travel intent](https://www.airport.kr/co/ko/cmm/cmmBbsView.do?FNCT_CODE=121&NTT_ID=27205).' The results: **~75% of Chinese, 55% of Japanese, and 49% of Taiwanese respondents want to visit Korea within the next year**. Peak travel intent for all three was September–October. Chinese travelers plan to stay an average of 9 days, Taiwanese 6, Japanese 4. Chinese tourists mostly travel with friends or partners (56.7%), Taiwanese with family (51.5%). Japanese also favored friends/partners (42.1%), but **1 in 5 (20.3%) is planning a solo trip**. Budget varies wildly by nationality. **Average planned spending per Chinese traveler is ₩873,108 — more than double that of Japanese (₩359,267) and Taiwanese (₩353,965) visitors.** --- **⌨️ Keyword News** **1️⃣ October long weekend** [👉\[full story\]](https://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2024100412115645631) **TL;DR:** October bridge holiday drives 63% surge in outbound, 14% in domestic travel **The story:** During Korea's October bridge holiday (Oct 1–9), Trip.com saw outbound bookings from Korean users jump 63% YoY. Domestic bookings rose 14%. **Where are they going?** Since the holiday requires burning PTO, travelers favored short-haul destinations: Osaka, Tokyo, Fukuoka (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand), Nha Trang (Vietnam), and Taipei (Taiwan). **2️⃣ August entry/exit numbers** [👉\[full story\]](https://www.traveltimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=409706) **TL;DR:** August inbound visitors recover to 99% of 2019 **The story:** Foreign arrivals in August hit ~1.56 million — 99% of August 2019 levels. Chinese visitors led at ~510K, followed by Japan, Taiwan, the US, and Hong Kong. **Outbound Koreans?** ~2.36 million departed in August, up 12.7% YoY — but down 5.7% MoM (vs. July) due to economic sluggishness and the TMON/WeMakePrice crisis. **3️⃣ Jeju cumulative visitors** [👉\[full story\]](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2024100217194522569) **TL;DR:** Jeju cumulative visitors up 4.5% YoY **The story:** Through October 1, Jeju welcomed ~10.58 million visitors — up 4.5% YoY. Domestic visitors fell 5.9%, but foreign arrivals surged 217.8%. **Why?** Post-pandemic, airlines shifted capacity from Jeju routes to Southeast Asia. Last Chuseok, domestic seat supply to Jeju dropped 5.5% YoY. **4️⃣ Interestrip** [👉\[full story\]](https://www.khan.co.kr/travel/international/article/202410050900015) **TL;DR:** Rise of 'Interestrip' — travel built around personal passions **The story:** 'Interestrip' (Interest + Trip) is gaining traction: trips centered purely on a hobby or niche interest — not just sightseeing. **What does this mean for hotels?** According to Marriott Bonvoy, for Gen Z and Millennials, hotels aren't just places to sleep — they're experiential destinations. Properties with unique activities and distinctive character are winning. **5️⃣ August e-commerce** [👉\[full story\]](https://www.news1.kr/economy/trend/5556945) **TL;DR:** August e-commerce posts record-low growth **The story:** Fallout from the TMON/WeMakePrice crisis dragged August online shopping transactions to ₩19.558 trillion — just 1.9% YoY growth. The lowest since stats began in January 2017. **Travel segment?** Travel and transport services account for 12% of total online shopping and posted a modest 4.5% YoY increase. ---