The way foreign tourists travel to Korea is changing. Rather than spending a few days touring famous attractions, demand for long-term stay travel — in which visitors live like locals for a month or more — is growing rapidly.
According to inbound tourism platform Creatrip on the 26th, transaction volume for "one-month stay" products increased approximately 272 percent year-on-year between January 1 and May 10 this year. Creatrip attributed the trend to growing demand among foreign tourists to directly experience Korea's everyday culture as portrayed in K-content, alongside the overall rise in foreign visitors to Korea.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, foreign tourists visiting Korea exceeded 4.76 million in the first quarter of this year, marking an all-time high. While the inbound market has moved beyond recovery into a growth phase in quantitative terms, travel styles are also expanding from short-term tourism to long-term stays.
Taiwanese tourists are leading the long-term stay demand. Among Creatrip's one-month stay product bookings, Taiwanese tourists accounted for the largest share at approximately 60 percent. Bookings from Taiwanese tourists rose roughly 172 percent year-on-year. Hong Kong tourists maintained the second-largest booking share for the second consecutive year, while Japanese tourists newly entered the market this year, accounting for about 10 percent of total bookings. Demand is growing quickly in Asian markets that are geographically close to Korea and familiar with Korean culture.
Behind foreign tourists' interest in one-month stays is the spread of K-content. Through dramas, variety shows and YouTube, foreigners have been exposed to Korean cafes, neighborhood shopping districts, food, beauty and academy culture, and now want to experience actual life in Korea. The spread of remote work and digital nomad culture has also naturally fueled travel styles that involve extended stays without being tied to a specific location.
Products bundling language schools with accommodations are particularly popular. The format involves taking Korean language classes while staying in lodgings near major commercial districts such as Hongdae, Gangnam and Myeongdong. Some products also include cultural programs such as Korean cooking classes, hanbok experiences, taekwondo and traditional games. Beyond simply learning Korean, the appeal lies in being able to naturally experience Korean culture within one's daily living radius.
The biggest barriers for foreigners preparing for long-term stays in Korea are language, contracts and payments. Creatrip has enabled users to handle lodging contracts, reservations and payments at once based on multilingual support. The platform also includes incidental costs such as maintenance fees and utilities in product prices, allowing foreign tourists to begin their Korean lives without additional procedures — a factor that has boosted demand.
Creatrip plans to further expand its long-term stay product lineup. In response to the rise in solo female travelers, the company is offering one-month stay products based on women-only accommodations, and is also considering expanding demand concentrated in Seoul to major regional cities such as Busan.
"Foreigners these days perceive the experience of actually living in Korea as an important element of travel," Creatrip CEO Lim Hye-min said. "Beyond lowering the barriers to long-term stays, we will expand products and partnerships that reflect lifestyle-oriented demand in areas such as medical care, beauty and wellness."
