--- title: "This Year for Real… Local Governments Go All-In on Tourism" description: "Central and local governments are ramping up efforts to expand regional tourism infrastructure. Let's look at what they're actually doing." published: 2025-02-20T00:00:00+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Weekly ON" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/67c6e0d78ca35aa551beda26_WeeklyON_vol146_webflow_cover_1200px.png" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=weeklyon-vol-146 locale: en --- # This Year for Real… Local Governments Go All-In on Tourism ⚠️ All rights reserved. Cite this piece as 'ONDA (온다)' when quoting. --- #### **In This Issue** 🏨 This Year for Real…Local Governments Go All-In on Tourism 💡 Korea Expects 18.73 Million Inbound Tourists in 2025 ⌨️ #1MillionStayCoupons #YanoljaCourtBattle #HotelPriceHikes #FTCBackpedals #DeepSeekBlocked --- **🏠 Industry Watch** ### **This Year for Real…Local Governments Go All-In on Tourism** 1️⃣ [Busan's foreign tourist arrivals hit 2.93 million last year—second-highest in a decade](https://www.econovill.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=684239) 2️⃣ [Gangwon-do welcomes 3.18 million foreign tourists—up 20% year-over-year](https://www.news1.kr/local/kangwon/5694359) 3️⃣ ["We'll really do better this time"—Jeju, shaken by price-gouging reputation, unveils major fixes](https://www.sedaily.com/NewsView/2GP0OH3W72) Scroll through Korea's travel news lately and you'll see local governments pulling out all the stops to attract tourists. They're aggressively pitching regional charms to foreigners who default to Seoul—and destinations with price-gouging reputations are rolling out crisis plans. Central and local authorities are also doubling down on regional tourism infrastructure. Here's what's happening on the ground: ![(Source: compiled from press reports)](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/67c6e116d2d2655e8981459f_17122_2660953_1739962672949197417.png) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is designating 13 new "cultural cities"—including Daegu's Suseong-gu and Busan's Suyeong-gu—and investing ₩200 billion per region over three years (₩2.6 trillion total) to build out infrastructure. If tourism infrastructure—now concentrated in Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Jeju—spreads nationwide, the travel industry stands to gain massively. For the country as a whole, reviving regional tourism is one of the best defenses against rural depopulation. So what are local governments actually doing? ### 👉[****](https://www.onda.me/blog/olhaeneun-ggog-gwangwanghwalseonghwae-jinsimin-jijacedeul?utm_source=stibee&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-2025_02_20) --- **💡 Hospitality Trends** ### **Korea Expects 18.73 Million Inbound Tourists in 2025** [**👉\[Full story\]**](https://www.edaily.co.kr/News/Read?newsId=01338246639121800&mediaCodeNo=257) **TL;DR:** AI forecasts 18.73 million foreign arrivals this year—7% above 2019 levels. **The story:** Yanolja Research used AI to analyze global mobility, economic indicators, and social trends—and projects Korea will see 18.73 million inbound visitors in 2025, beating pre-pandemic numbers. Four countries will account for 63% of arrivals: China (5.29M, 28.2%), Japan (3.65M, 19.5%), the US (1.51M, 8.0%), and Taiwan (1.37M, 7.3%). K-content's global pull and favorable exchange rates will fuel growth—especially K-drama and K-beauty's appeal to Chinese tourists. The downside risks? Global economic slowdown and political instability. --- **⌨️ Key Headlines** **1️⃣ 1 Million Stay Coupons** [👉\[Full story\]](https://www.sukbakmagazine.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=63479) **TL;DR:** Government to release stay-discount coupons around March 1 **The story:** The first batch of discount coupons will likely drop around March 1 (Independence Movement Day), which falls on a Saturday—with Monday, March 3, as a substitute holiday. Some think mid-March to mid-April is more realistic, given the two-month gap to Children's Day (May 5). **2️⃣ Yanolja Court Battle** [👉\[Full story\]](https://www.sedaily.com/NewsView/2GOWZTCRGX) **TL;DR:** Yanolja's "Nol Universe" merger ratio sparks legal fight **The story:** Minority shareholders in Nol Universe—including Woori Venture Partners, Smilegate Investment, and DSC Investment—are mulling lawsuits over share-purchase pricing and potentially to nullify the merger. Tensions have simmered since last year; sources say investors are now [playing chicken over who files first](https://www.thebell.co.kr/free/content/ArticleView.asp?key=202502111424113840109678). **3️⃣ Hotel Rate Hikes** [👉\[Full story\]](https://www.newsway.co.kr/news/view?ud=2025021619053107003) **TL;DR:** Hotels raising rates—and quietly cutting loyalty-point value **The story:** Rising costs are pushing hotels to hike room rates and adjust points programs. Some properties have raised prices up to 30%, while others are tightening redemption thresholds—a stealth price increase. **4️⃣ FTC Backpedals on Platform Regs** [👉\[Full story\]](https://biz.chosun.com/policy/policy_sub/2025/02/17/6RVXVESFK5DSRPPBLA3UCNIAFI/?utm_source=naver&utm_medium=original&utm_campaign=biz) **TL;DR:** US pressure may soften Korea's platform regulations **The story:** FTC Chairman Han Ki-jung told reporters, "We're closely monitoring the new US administration's competition policy and will consult with the National Assembly and continue dialogue with the US." Translation: expect lighter enforcement or delayed implementation of proposed platform rules. **5️⃣ DeepSeek Blocked** [👉\[Full story\]](https://news.tf.co.kr/read/economy/2177779.htm) **TL;DR:** Travel companies join wave of firms blocking Chinese AI DeepSeek **The story:** Hana Tour and Chan Joheun Travel are among travel firms now blocking DeepSeek on corporate networks. The app's privacy policy states user data—keyboard patterns, text, audio—is stored on China-based servers and may be shared with government agencies at the company's discretion. ---