The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) will distribute 300,000 lodging discount vouchers for population-declining regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area ahead of the summer vacation season. The initiative aims to ease lodging cost burdens, boost domestic travel demand, and channel tourism spending to regions struggling with population decline.
The MCST announced Monday that it will hold the "2026 Summer Lodging Sale Festa" with the KTO from June 11 to July 31. A supplementary budget of 11.2 billion won will be allocated to the event. The discounts will apply to 85 population-declining regions outside the Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi areas.
The vouchers can be used for lodging products with check-in dates within the event period. Eligible facilities include registered hotels, condominiums, resorts, and pensions in the designated regions. Day-use products and unregistered lodging facilities are excluded.
For stays of one night or more, discounts of 20,000 to 30,000 won will be offered depending on the lodging price. Lodging products priced at 70,000 won or more will receive a 30,000 won discount, while those under 70,000 won will receive a 20,000 won discount. A total of 240,000 vouchers will be distributed in this category.
This year, discount vouchers for multi-night stays of two nights or more have also been newly introduced. Multi-night products priced at 140,000 won or more will receive a 70,000 won discount, while those under 140,000 won will receive a 50,000 won discount. A total of 60,000 multi-night vouchers will be distributed. The MCST expects the multi-night vouchers to encourage travelers to stay longer in the regions and lead to additional spending on food, beverages, and tourism beyond accommodation.
Vouchers can be obtained through online travel agency channels starting at 10 a.m. on June 11. Any Korean citizen aged 19 or older can receive one voucher per person on a first-come, first-served basis. The 30 participating channels include Yeogi Eottae, NOL, Yanolja-affiliated channels, Gmarket, Auction, 11st, Coupang Travel, Hana Tour, Noranpungseon, MyRealTrip, and Stayfolio.
Issued vouchers must be used to complete a reservation between 10 a.m. on the day of issuance and 7 a.m. the following day. If not used within this period, the voucher will automatically expire. However, vouchers can be reissued starting at 10 a.m. the next day.
Eligible regions include Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and Yeongdo-gu in Busan; Nam-gu, Seo-gu, and Gunwi-gun in Daegu; 12 areas in Gangwon Province including Goseong, Samcheok, Yangyang, and Pyeongchang; 6 areas in North Chungcheong Province including Danyang and Jecheon; 9 areas in South Chungcheong Province including Gongju, Boryeong, and Taean; 10 areas in North Jeolla Province including Gochang, Namwon, and Jeongeup; 16 areas in South Jeolla Province including Gangjin, Damyang, and Haenam; 15 areas in North Gyeongsang Province including Andong, Mungyeong, and Ulleung; and 11 areas in South Gyeongsang Province including Namhae, Miryang, and Hadong.
"This summer's Lodging Sale Festa was prepared to ease the public's travel cost burden and revitalize the economy of population-declining regions," said Kang Dong-jin, Director General for Tourism Policy at the MCST. "We hope many citizens will use the lodging discount vouchers this summer to stay one more day in the regions and rediscover their charm."
